


Speed The Vampire Slayer

by cazmalfoy



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fusion, M/M, Unfinished, Vampire Danny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 02:11:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6592444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Slayer was in town. Sunnydale would never be the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome To The Hellmouth

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-write of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, using CSI: NY and Miami characters.
> 
> I will warn you, right here, that there are only 13 chapters of this, and it is not finished. It was originally written in 2007.
> 
> I am trying to move all of my stories from live journal and ff.net onto AO3, and this is one of the unfinished ones. I don't want to delete it because I still live under the insane idea that I may finish it at some point before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

_In every generation, there is a chosen one. They alone shall stand against the Vampires, demons, and forces of darkness._

**Los Angeles – 1997**

The doors slammed closed with a bang that echoed loud in the silent night. Tim leant back against them, his chest heaving as he struggled to recapture the air his burning lungs desperately needed.

With his thumb, he wiped a stray drop of blood from his nose and grimaced. He hadn’t even realised he had been hit in the face. The desire for revenge had been burning so strong and bright that it overruled his senses, fuelling him with pure adrenaline.

A loud bang on the doors brought his attention back to the present and he shook his head, pushing thoughts of revenge to the back of his mind. 

He had a gymnasium full of angry Vampires to deal with.

"You won’t get away with this!" a cold voice called through the chained and padlocked doors.

Tim chuckled darkly and reached into his pocket. "That’s where you’re wrong," he called back, withdrawing a lighter. "Because you’re locked inside a gasoline soaked gymnasium and…" he set a piece of wood alight and threw it through a window high above him.

"Oops, I just slipped and threw a burning block inside," he mock-pouted. 

He bent down to brush a dark stain from his jeans; a dark stain that looked suspiciously like blood.

"Great," he muttered, standing upright once more. "Just what I need… A massive dry cleaning bill."

A sadistic grin twisted his face evilly and he saluted the building. "So long, boys."

~

Sweat coated his brow and his lungs were burning again. He threw the shovel onto the ground next to the freshly dug grave with a sigh and wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, turning the sky a strange mix of orange and black.

He choked back a bitter sob as he fell to one knee. Lothos had killed one of the only two people Tim cared about. The brunette moved from one place to another, killing any Vampire that crossed his path; not caring about any human he encountered on his travels.

The only person that seemed to stand by his side, no matter how violent and bloody things became was his Watcher, Andrew Metcalfe. Tim had hated having a Watcher and had done everything he could think of to rebel against his destiny, but slowly Andrew had convinced him that he couldn’t outrun what was pre-ordained centuries before.

But now Andrew was gone; Lothos had kidnapped the older man in an attempt to draw out the Slayer. By the time Tim discovered Lothos’ hideout, Andrew had already been subjected to several hours of torture before being put out of his misery.

"I’m sorry, Andy," he whispered, pressing a kiss against the crucifix hanging around his neck. It was an amulet Andrew had given him and it hadn’t been removed once.

Tim got to his feet, brushing grass stains from his knees. He didn’t know what he could do on his own, but one thing he knew for certain. 

The Slayer was dead. His fate was sealed. He had buried his destiny when he buried his best friend.

~

**Sunnydale – 1997**

He couldn’t believe he was standing in such a small town. ‘Sunnydale – Population 38,500’.

Tim shook his head and inhaled smoke from the cigarette hanging from his lips. What he did to deserve such a culture shock, the brunette didn’t know. 

He smirked to himself; getting expelled for Arson might have contributed to his fate of being trapped in a town with only one Starbucks.

"Speed!" a female voice snapped from the lawn. "Put that out and help us get these boxes into the house. I want them in before dark."

With a sigh, he took one last drag before dropping the butt to the ground, using the toe of his sneaker to extinguish it. 

Wearily he crossed the law, accepting the box Julia was waiting for him to take. Automatically his eyes flickered to the darkening sky. It would be night soon and he wanted to make sure he was safely inside his house.

He shook his head as he headed into the house. This was Sunnydale, not LA. He had left Vampires and the Vampire Slayer in the hills of Hollywood. Here, he could be a regular teenager who spent time with friends and got caught smoking in the school bathrooms. 

The last thing he had to worry about was the undead. 

~

There were candles everywhere; there must have been at least a hundred, maybe even more.

They were getting close, closer now than they had ever been before. In several days, their goal would be met and their mission accomplished.

Bound and gagged, their captive lay waiting, watching them with big brown eyes as she waited for the inevitable.

Her kidnapper smiled smugly, feeding hungrily on the fear he could feel pouring from her in waves. 

In time she would serve her purpose and the Master would rise once more.

~

With a gasp Tim sat upright, looking around the room wildly. For a long moment he didn’t know where he was, then he sighed and fell back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling.

He was still in the middle of nowhere, in a town no one had ever heard of before. He groaned and closed his eyes, feeling nauseous at the mere thought of living in a godforsaken Hellhole.

Julia pounded on the door, and he cracked an eye open when the door opened. "Get your ass out of bed," she instructed. "You gotta go to school." She grimaced and averted her eyes. "And for Christ’s sake, Speed; cover yourself up."

Tim glanced down and blushed when he saw the sheets tangled around his legs, exposing his naked body to the room. "This is my room," he retorted. "You shouldn’t just burst in here like that. I could have been doing all kinds of things to somebody."

Julia rolled her eyes. "You haven’t been in the town a day yet. There’s no way you could find a guy here before me." She glanced at her watch and cursed. "I’m late… You can make your own breakfast."

"Some guardian, you are," Tim commented, earning him a glare and Julia’s middle finger. 

"And if I hear you’ve skipped your first day, I’ll kill you," she promised, turning on her heel and heading down the corridor.

"Great," Tim drawled, tossing back the covers once he was sure she had gone. "My first glorious day at Sunnydale High School."

~

The dark figure grimaced as he stepped off the bus. The sun was fierce as he glanced around at his surroundings. 

Whispers had been travelling through the city; something big was coming and the Slayer was on the move.

It had taken months of research before he figured out that Sunnydale was the centre of demonic activity recently.

He just wished it wasn’t so damn sunny. The bright light made his blue eyes sting and water.

With a sigh he slipped on his sunglasses; he had a Slayer to find.

~

The horn of the school bus sounded loud across the quad as students ran for their lives. Mabel was the worst bus driver in the history of Sunnydale buses and always seemed to be driving the same bus as Lindsay Monroe much to her chagrin.

She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she stepped off the bus. She always looked forward to the start of a new school year; it meant new books, new subjects and teachers. And a new semester also meant she was closer to leaving a certain blonde in her past.

Lindsay’s eyes narrowed as she looked across the quad. Sliding out of her gorgeous red convertible, with a simpering smile on her face was Calleigh Duquesne. Head cheerleader and the most popular girl in school.

Calleigh had the uncanny ability to make Lindsay feel like she was worthless after several seconds of being in the same room.

A screeching sound cut through the noise of students reuniting with their friends after the long summer.

Kids ran for cover as the black motorcycle sped towards them, leaving tire treads on the road behind it.

"Wonder who that is," a male voice murmured in her ear.

Lindsay turned and grinned, embracing her friend warmly. "Probably some show off," she shrugged. "Did you do the math we were assigned?"

Eric grimaced as they headed towards the main school building. "Yeah… I had some trouble with it."

"Which part?"

"The math," the other teenager admitted. "Can you help me out tonight? Be my study buddy?" His chocolate brown eyes were hopeful as he pleaded with her.

Lindsay smiled. "You should check out the Trig textbook…"

"Check it out?"

She chuckled. "From the library. You know, where the books live?"

Eric clicked his fingers. "Right! And that would be…?"

~

Tim was lost. He was completely and utterly lost. 

Everything had been going fine; he had found a place to park his motorcycle and had a quick cigarette in the bathroom. But then he met with the principal, who was one of the strangest people he had ever met.

He was too busy looking at the map in his hand that he didn’t notice someone heading his direction until they collided.

"Oh!" a male voice exclaimed, bending down to pick up Tim’s fallen books. "Sorry, I should have been watching where I was going."

Tim smiled and accepted his books. "It’s okay."

"I’m Eric Delko, by the way," the darker skinned boy introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Tim Speedle." He sighed and glanced back down at the map. "You don’t know where room 2.8 is, do you?"

A few moments later, Tim was thanking Eric and on his way to first period History.

~

The library was not one of Tim’s favourite places to visit in his free period, but the girl he sat next to, Calleigh had said he needed his own history book if he was going to keep up with the rest of the class.

"Hello?" he called quietly, glancing around the empty library. "I’m new and need some help."

He stopped by the counter, looking around to see if there was some kind of bell he could ring to get someone’s attention.

An open newspaper with the heading ‘Three boys missing’ caught his eye and he pulled it closer, his brown eyes quickly scanning the article. 

His brain wondered if it had been a human criminal mastermind that had taken the boys, but he quickly shook the thought out of his head. 

There was nothing paranormal going on in Sunnydale. Crimes like that happened all over the world. They had nothing to do with evil forces.

"Mr Speedle?" a voice asked from behind him and he spun around in surprise.

"How did you know that?" he demanded, before rolling his eyes. "I guess you don’t get many new guys around here," he muttered.

"I’m Mr Caine," the redhead introduced himself. "I was told you be coming."

Tim frowned. "Yeah, well… I need some books."

"I have just what you’re looking for."

"You do?"

He watched as Caine made his way behind the desk, retrieving something that was out of Tim’s line of sight.

The brunette backed away when a thick dusty volume was placed on the counter; a book entitled ‘Vampyre’.

"That’s not what I’m looking for," Tim muttered, never taking his eyes of the other man. 

He knew; the blue eyed librarian knew who Tim really was. 

He didn’t know how word had got out and he didn’t care, when Caine moved to place the book away Tim turned on his heel and fled the library, vowing never to return again.

~

Dead people did not belong in lockers; despite common misconceptions, a locker was not ideal storage for a cadaver.

Crouching down next to the young man, Tim sighed and pulled his backpack closer. A quick glance around ensured he was still alone.

One movement of the dagger across the corpse’s neck was all it took to reduce him to a pile of ashes.

He may have left all Slayer duties in LA but he didn’t leave behind his common sense. He knew that there was only two ways to kill a Vampire; decapitation or fire. Carrying a dagger in his backpack was as common place as carrying his wallet in his pocket.

The librarian knew something about this and Tim was going to make it very clear he wanted nothing to do with Vampires anymore.

~

Tim threw himself down in a chair and put his feet up on the desk. "You heard about the dead guy in the locker right?" he called up to where Caine was stacking books.

"Yes."

"He’s got two puncture marks in his neck and his blood’s been drained," he sighed. "Don’t you think that’s bizarre?" he questioned at Caine’s blank look.

"I was afraid this would happen."

"Well I wasn’t," Tim glanced up at him. "I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find somewhere to park my motorcycle and I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere to buy decent cigarettes. I didn’t think there’d be Vampires on Campus. And I don’t care… I’m not getting involved."

Caine blinked and studied him for an uncomfortable minute. "Then why are you here?"

Tim paused in surprise, opening his mouth to think of a witty retorted but he couldn’t find anything to say.

"To tell you that I don’t care… which I don’t… And now I’ve told you, I’m gonna… go."

He turned and stalked down the stairs, berating himself for being so stupid.

"Will he rise again?" Caine asked quietly.

"Who?" He didn’t turn around.

The librarian sighed. "The boy."

This time he turned. "No. He won’t be doing anything, anytime soon. He’s dust. Now if you’’ excuse me…"

Caine slammed the book onto the shelf and followed him. "You really have no idea what’s going here, do you? Do you think it’s all just coincidence you’re here now? He was only the beginning."

"Why can’t I just be left alone?" Tim demanded, glaring at the older man. 

"Because you are the Slayer. In every generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world…"

Tim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. One  _girl_  is supposed to able to rid the world of the evil there is. They made a mistake by a choosing a male Slayer and I don’t see why I should have to suffer the consequences."

"I really don’t understand this attitude. You’ve accepted your duty as the Slayer before. You slain hundreds of Vampires…"

"Yeah, been there; done that. I moving on, accept it."

"There are things you need to know about this town, Timothy."

"I know all I need to know."

Caine began pulling out various textbooks and volumes. "I believe this town is a centre of mystical energy. Things gravitate here as though they are drawn by something other worldly."

Tim had to admit his interest was peaked. "Like Vampires?" he ventured.

"Like zombies… werewolves… everything you’ve ever dreaded was under your bed but told yourself could never be by the light of day. They’re all real. And it’s time you faced up to it."

~

Eric heard the library doors swing closed and he stepped out from where he had been hiding behind the bookcases. 

He had been looking for the book Lindsay instructed him to check out; he never realised how many books such a tiny room could hold.

The teenager had been crouched down looking when the new guy stalked in and started having it out with Caine. 

Of course, none of it made sense. Talks of Vampires and werewolves, and everything else Eric watched movies about. 

He had a strange feeling there was something different about Tim Speedle.

~

The house was cute, in a way that made him want to vomit a little. He hated how everything in these neighbourhoods looked alike. 

He would much rather prefer to live in a small cottage that was crooked and stood out from the rest.

 

He stood upright, flicking his cigarette to the ground as a dark figure left the building. The Slayer was on the move.

Being careful not to make any sound he followed the girl, he didn’t want to give away his presence too soon so he made sure to stick to the shadows.

The girl’s pace increased and for a moment he thought he had been discovered, but when she didn’t turn he figured he was still concealed by the darkness.

He frowned in the alleyway. She had definitely come down there, but she was nowhere to be found and there was no way out. He could sense she was still around but he couldn’t pin down her exact location.

Something colliding with his back knocked him to the floor and he let out a startled groan as he landed on the concrete.

"Whoa!" he accidentally let slip when he saw the person pinning him. "You’re a guy."

~

Tim growled and tightened his hand around the stranger’s throat. "Damn right, I am. Why the hell were you following me?"

"I know what you’re thinking…" the blonde managed to pry the other man’s fingers from his throat. "But I don’t bite."

Tim released him and got to his feet, straightening out his clothes. "Truth is, I thought you’d be… a woman," he admitted.

"What a way to boost a guys ego. What do you want?"

"The same thing you do," the stranger answered, flexing his neck painfully. "Did you have to hit so hard?"

"What is it with everyone in this town thinking they know what I want?"

The shorter man stepped closer. "You want to kill them. To kill them all."

"Wrong!" he snapped. "What I want is to be left alone!" He brushed past him and headed down the alley.

A chuckle escaped. "Do you really think that’s an option anymore?" Tim paused uncertainly. "You’re standing at the mouth of hell and it’s about to open. You can’t turn your back on it. You’ve got to be ready."

"Be ready for what?"

"The Harvest."

The brunette finally turned and studied the other man’s face. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

"Let’s just say… I’m a friend."

"Maybe I don’t want a friend."

"I didn’t say I was yours."

~

He couldn’t believe someone had finally taken his advice. That never happened; in fact he rarely  _gave_  advice.

But Lindsay seizing the moment with someone who was clearly a Vampire, if his clothes were anything to go by, had definitely not been his intention.

Despite everything he felt about being the Slayer, he knew that he could not let someone get hurt; especially not someone who was very nearly a friend.

"Are you leaving already?" Eric asked as Tim left the club. "The night’s still young."

"Oh, Eric, right? Have you seen Lindsay?"

"No, why?"

"She left with a guy." Eric nodded in approval; glad his friend had plucked up the courage to approach a member of the opposite sex. "Where would he take her?"

"I don’t know," Eric shrugged. "He’s not a Vampire is he?" he questioned, making Tim stop in his tracks. "Because then you’d have to slay him."

"Was there some kind of announcement in the newspaper that I missed?" Tim sighed in frustration. "Is there any one in this damn town that doesn’t know I’m the fucking Slayer?"

"I only know that you think you’re the Slayer. What I don’t get is…"

"Look it doesn’t matter. Where would he take her?" Tim pushed.

"You’re serious."

"You can either help me or I’ll figure it out myself. But if you don’t there’ll be one more dead body in the morning."

~

Of course, Vampires liked to frequent cemeteries. He didn’t know why when there were so many obstacles like tombstones to trip over, but the undead didn’t really make much sense so he tried not to think about it too much.

They heard a scream that sounded all too much like Lindsay and Tim bolted in the direction of the mausoleum.

Andrew had always told him not to rush into battle without thinking, but his friend was being attacked; the time for thinking had long since passed.

"Well this nice," he commented, bursting through the door. 

A quick assessment told him there were two problems he had to deal with. One was tall and pretty lanky, while the other was just as thin and looked just as weak. This would be a piece of cake.

"You could do with some décor, maybe a few throw pillows, but it could be a place called home."

"Who the hell are you?" the blonde Vampire demanded.

"Thank god! Eric, stop the press! There is someone in this town who doesn’t already know. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep my private life… well, private."

Tim shook his arms as though he were a boxer preparing for a big fight. "How’d you want to do this? There’s the hard way or… well, actually there’s just the hard way. Sorry about that."

He figured he’d tackle the petite blonde first before taking on the male Vampire.

"Fine by me."

"Are you sure? I mean, we’re talking serious violence, strong violence, adult…" he heard footsteps behind him and span around, withdrawing his trusty dagger from inside his jacket.

"Oops," he whispered, watching as the dust of the guy floated away on the light breeze. "My bad! I hope you’re not allergic to dust."

~

Tim watched in amusement as Caine darted from bookcase to bookcase, pulling out one thick volume after another before handing them to Lindsay, who was stood at his side watching every move the redhead made.

"This world… our world, is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology it did not begin as a paradise," Caine spoke as he walked. "For untold eons Demons walked the Earth and made it their home; their Hell."

"Only a few remain now, certain beings with powers… certain abilities."

"Like Vampires?" Tim ventured a guess.

"Yes."

"We’re having a talk about Vampires," Eric stated. "This so oh very wrong."

"Vampires exist," Tim informed him. "You pretty much have to accept that so we can get past this." Everyone looked at him. "What? I was told the same thing after my first encounter with a Vampire. It’s no big deal."

"I think I need to sit down," Lindsay muttered.

Tim leant over and whispered, "You are sat down."

"Oh."

"According to the text books, the last demon to leave this realm fed of a human. Their blood was mixed and he became a human form possessed… infected by the demon’s soul. And so their ranks grew and grew. Killing; waiting for the old ones to return."

"There is one who can fight against them. A Slayer."

"And that would be a… what?" Eric demanded.

"For as long as there have been Vampires a Slayer has fought against them. One _girl_ in all the world… a chosen one," Tim explained.

"But you’re not a…"

"Girl? I know, trust me I’m not. I would prove it to you but I’d get expelled for indecent exposure." Tim smirked.

Caine rolled his eyes, picking up where Tim left off. "When one Slayer dies a new one is appointed. The Slayer is supposed to a female and before yourself," he nodded in Tim’s direction, "there has never been a male Slayer. And I doubt there will be one after."

"I’m the mistake," Tim commented.

"So how do you kill them?" Eric questioned.

"You don’t," Caine argued. "He does."

Lindsay and Eric both looked at Tim curiously and the brunette sighed. "I think they should know. Just in case… you know, self defence?"

Caine bit his lip in thought before relenting. "Well, alright. Everything you’ve ever seen about Vampires you better forget right now, because they won’t do you any good. Vampires can’t be killed by Hollywood’s methods."

Eric raised his eyebrow and looked pointedly at Tim. "Translation?"

"Stakes don’t work since a Vampire’s heart isn’t beating in the first place; the only affect sunlight has on them, is that it makes their sting," Tim stated matter-of-factly.

"Crucifixes?"

Tim’s fingers instantly went to the chain dangling around his neck. "Only if they’re made of pure silver," he whispered, lost in his thoughts of Andrew. "They burn them for a few moments, which should give you chance to take their head."

~

"Well, that figures," Tim muttered, seeing the locked gates in front of him. "I don’t suppose you’ve got a key on you?" he asked the figure he could sense behind him.

The other man half-smiled. "They don’t really like me dropping in on them."

Tim turned. "Why wouldn’t they?"

"They _really_ don’t like me."

"How could they not? I mean you’re great at stalking people and being cryptic. What’s not to love?"

The other man ignored Tim’s sarcasm. "I knew you’d figure out where the entryway was sooner or later." He shook his head, "Truthfully? I thought it’d be sooner than this."

"Sorry I kept you waiting." Tim glared. "If you’re gonna be around – even if I don’t want you to be – giving me this cryptic, wise-man bullshit, the least you can do is tell me your name."

"Danny," he answered softly. "And you really shouldn’t be putting yourself at risk by going down there. Tonight is the Harvest. The Master walks tonight, unless you can stop it."

"Since you know so much about it, why don’t you stop them?"

"Because I’m not the Slayer," Danny replied. "They’ll be expecting you," he pointed out when Tim kicked the door open loudly.

"I’d hate to disappoint them, in that case. You gonna wish me luck?"

"Are you saying you’ll need it?"

~

Lindsay looked up hopefully when she heard the doors open. She sighed with relief when she saw Eric and Tim, both looking thankful to be back.

"Did you find Jesse? Is he dead?"

"Worse," Tim answered, slouching down in a nearby chair. "I’m sorry, Lindsay. We were too late."

"Have you guys figured anything out?" Eric looked at Caine.

"I bet you can’t make this day any worse."

"How about the end of the world?" Caine suggested.

"I take it back," Tim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can. Lay it on me."

"Some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful Vampire came to this shore and not just with the intention to feed," Caine began. 

"He came here because this town a mystical centre?" Tim ventured.

"Yes. The Spanish called it, _Boca del Infierno."_  
  
"Which roughly translates to, ‘Helmouth’," Lindsay explained.

"Hellmouth. Exactly. It’s a sort of portal between this reality and the next. And this Vampire wanted to open it."

Tim leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Bringing the demons back."

"And the end of the world with them," Eric stated.

"But then there was a huge earthquake and it swallowed half the town; him too." Lindsay was practically bouncing out of her chair with enthusiasm. 

Eric was pacing the library. "And the Harvest thing is to bring him back."

"The chance only comes once in century, on this night. When it does, the Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds, which would be enough power to break free and open the portal."

"The minion is called ‘The Vessel’." Caine stood and drew a three-pointed star on the whiteboard. "The Vessel will bear this," he rapped on the board with a knuckle, "symbol."

"So I dust anyone sporting the Mercedes Benz logo," Tim shrugged, getting out of his seat. "And we stop the Harvest."

"That would be the basic idea, yes," Caine agreed. "As always, things may not be as simple as that."

~

Tim tugged the door; he used all his strength as a Slayer and the damn thing still wouldn’t budge. "Fuck!" he hissed.

"We’re too late," Caine sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I’m sorry, Mr Perfect. I didn’t know Social Services would be at home checking up on me!"

"Can you break it down?"

"No way in hell." He flinched. "Sorry, poor choice of words. You guys try the back entrance. I’ll find my own way in."

"Where are you going?" Caine demanded.

"Don’t sweat it. I have an idea." He handed everyone a small sword. "Don’t be afraid to use these. And don’t breathe in the dust… it  _will_ make you sneeze."

~

Why was everything so cramped? Tim hated crawling through ventilation systems; he hated the way they made him feel - slightly panicked and claustrophobic.

But there was no other way in and he didn’t have time to wait around while he thought of one.

He flinched when the window smashed, before rolling his eyes. He didn’t have to worry about being overhead, the Vampires would be too busy focusing on the screams of their victims to notice.

Someone was speaking, saying things about the Master getting stronger and needing another. Tim noticed there was a three-pointed star on his forehead. "So he’s the Vessel," the teenager muttered to himself.

"There’s a pretty one here," the blonde that attacked him in the mausoleum said, pushing someone onto the stage.

"Calleigh," Tim whispered as he recognised the head cheerleader. He had to do something, or this guy would end up slaughtering his entire class.

Tim swung a punch at the nearest bad guy and sent him sailing over the railing, just as Luke was about to sink his fangs into Calleigh’s neck.

"Oops," he cringed. "I’m sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

"You," Luke snarled, glaring up at the Slayer.

"Come on! There’s no way I’d miss a party like this! I’ll be right down." Tim placed his hands on the railing and threw himself over.

Gasps of amazement sounded when he landed perfectly, on the pool table below. ‘I knew there was something I liked about being a Slayer,’ he thought to himself as he dusted his hands off.

He span around, pulling the dagger from his belt and taking the head of the nearest vampire, reducing him to a pile of dust.

"I’m sorry," he apologised, waving his hand. "Where were we?"

"I want blood. Your blood."

"Fine by me." Tim ran across the dance floor and jumped up onto the stage. 

One high kick in the jaw was all it took to send Luke flying into a pile of chairs.

"Boy, Vampires are ugly bastards." Tim shook his head, as Luke got to his feet once more.

He managed to knock Luke back several steps and he drew his dagger once more, with the intention of taking his head off. 

Luke, however, intercepted his movement and knocked the blade from his hand, sending it flying. Tim took his eyes of the Vampire for a moment as he looked for his weapon and it was the only invitation Luke needed to send throw the Slayer against the wall.

~

"Eric, duck!" Tim shouted, grabbing a cymbal and throwing it as though it were a Frisbee.

Eric’s brown eyes widened as he saw the musical instrument come flying at him and he ducked quickly, seconds before it took his attacker’s head off.

"Go help the others," Tim instructed.

The instant Eric’s back was turned, Tim felt strong arms tighten around him; crushing his own arms against his body, ensuring he wouldn’t be able to use them.

He gasped for breath as the arms tightened, he could feel his lungs burning as they lost oxygen. 

"I always wanted to kill a Slayer," Luke purred in his ear as Tim struggled to keep oxygen entering his body. "When the Master tastes your blood, he’ll be able to free himself. The Slayer’s blood will be the key."

Tim was running out of options and he knew it. When he heard Luke growl, he quickly threw his head back. The impact of his skull against Luke’s sent pains shooting through him, but it wasn’t anything a few painkillers couldn’t solve later.

"Do I taste okay?" Tim panted as Luke staggered back.

His hand clasped around the nearest microphone stand and he held it back, ready to throw it through Luke.

"You forget, that won’t kill me," Luke chucked.

"And you forget," Tim launched it through the window, "sunrise."

Luke screamed with pain and fell to the ground. Tim rolled his eyes, "It cant really kill you, moron." He grabbed his fallen sword and brought it across Luke’s neck. "I didn’t think he’d fall for it."

~

Danny’s blue eyes widened as several young Vampires fled from the bronze. "He did it," the blonde whispered.

His eyes were starting to sting again; cursing the sun, he slipped on his sunglasses once more. "I’ll be damned."

~

Caine watched as Tim, Eric and Lindsay crossed the quad, discussing new and inventive ways Tim could use to get kicked out of school again.

‘The fate of the world lies in the hand of a teenage rebel who rides a motorcycle?’ He thought to himself. 

"The earth is doomed!"


	2. Teacher's Pet

Tim sipped his beer as his brown eyes surveyed the crowd. Eric had his arm around Lindsay and was indignantly explaining about some guy who had dared question his manliness.

"I don’t believe it," Tim muttered, his eyes landing on the handsome figure across the room.

"I know… Speed? Hey where…?"

But Tim wasn’t listening; he was already halfway towards the other man.

"Look who decided to show his face," Tim said, stepping up to him.

"Hi," Danny flashed him a smile; a smile which made the Slayer's stomach flutter. 

"I would say it’s nice to see you again, but my councillor tells me not to lie."

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Don’t worry, I won’t be long."

"You’ll just give me a cryptic warning about some kind of catastrophe before disappearing, right?" Tim folded his arms across his chest.

He was freezing. He only had a thin shirt on and he had left his jacket on the back of his chair in the club.

"You’re cold."

"What?" Tim tried to stop the shivering but only made it worse. "No, I’m fine."

"No, you’re not," Danny argued, shrugging his own leather jacket off and handing it to Tim.

The brunette’s eyes widened as a white sleeveless T-shirt was revealed underneath. As he accepted the jacket from Danny, their fingers brushed and he suddenly found that he wasn’t feeling so cold anymore.

"It’s a bit big on me," he murmured, trying to ignore Danny’s scent surrounding him and how good he smelt. His eyes fell on the wound on the blonde’s arm. "What happened?"

He reached out to touch him, but Danny shrugged away. "I was slow moving out of the way."

"Of who? Some guy with a pitch fork?"

"He’s coming."

"Again with the cryptic," Tim growled in frustration. "Who’s coming? The fork guy?"

"Don’t let him corner you and don’t show him any mercy. He doesn’t deserve it. He’ll rip your throat out."

"Who’s coming?" he repeated.

Danny looked around, as though someone were following him. "I have to go," he whispered, putting his hand on Tim’s cheek before turning and disappearing into the night.

~

He couldn’t get enough of Danny’s scent. Laying on his bed, with his face buried in the blonde’s jacket, he felt all the blood rushing to his groin and he was glad he hadn’t dressed after his shower.

With a groan he ran his hand down his chest, tugging at his nipples on the way down. When his fingers curled around his cock, his mind’s eye immediately substituted his hand for Danny’s.

Tim could almost feel the weight of the other man pressing against him as he pumped his cock, running his thumb over the head and smearing pre-come around.

His legs fell apart; the rush of air against the heated skin between his legs made him gasp.

He buried his face in the jacket once more, allowing Danny’s scent to overwhelm his senses.

That was all it took and the Slayer arched his back, coming over his hand, with a gasp and a moan of the other man’s name.

When it was over he fell back against the pillows, he chest heaving as he panted for breath.

"Hey, Speed?" Julia’s voice sounded as the door opened. "Have you seen my pink…?"

She blushed lightly when she saw the state Tim was. "God, Speed! Put it away will you? I think you need a ‘do not disturb sign’."

"Or a lock," Tim glared, pulling the sheets over his body.

"Not gonna happen," Julia shook her head. "If social services find out you’ve got a lock on your door, they’ll be all over me like a trick on a prostitute’s ass. You haven’t exactly got a good reputation with my predecessors. Sneaking out, smoking, drinking, fights. They tend to frown on those things."

"That’s because they were uptight assholes!"

"And if you wanna stay here, which I’m assuming you do," Tim nodded. "We need to make sure that they think you’re the angel you should be."

"Now," Julia continued, "you didn’t answer my question…"

~ 

Tim growled in annoyance as Calleigh pushed past him. The day just refused to get any better.

Julia had refused to let him forget she had walked in on him while he was jacking off; all the way through breakfast she had made little side comments about pleasuring yourself, making Tim wish the ground would open up and swallow him.

The substitute Biology teacher had spent the entire lesson, flirting with the male population of the class; Tim included. And, for a guy who had no inclination whatsoever to sleep with a member of the opposite sex, he found it annoying and rather frustrating that she wouldn’t let up.

Then, Calleigh had to go bump into him, thus spilling his soda down his shirt.

A high pitched scream sounded and in the back of his mind he found himself wondering how such a large noise could come from such a tiny person, before he jogged over to the head cheerleader.

"His head! His head! Where the hell is his head? Oh my god!" Calleigh screamed, backing away from the cooler, until the counter prevented her from going any further.

Tim paused in surprise as he looked at the body; it looked suspiciously like their previous biology teacher. The same biology teacher who had gone missing out of the blue.

Only he was missing his head, as Calleigh was so eager to announce to everyone and anyone.

~

"Here," Horatio handed a glass of water and two aspirin to Tim.

"How’d you know I have a migraine?" the Slayer questioned, accepting the drink and quickly swallowing the painkillers.

"I’ve never seen… I mean, I’ve never seen anything like… That was new," Eric rambled.

Tim frowned and looked at his friend; he was pretty sure the darker skinned man sounded slightly awed and amazed about finding a decapitated corpse.

"I don’t get who would want to hurt Dr Humphreys though," Lindsay whispered, her gaze never leaving the floor in front of her.

Horatio shrugged his shoulders. "He didn’t have any enemies on the staff that I can tell. Al was a very civilised man. I liked him."

"We’ll find out who did this and stop them," Lindsay vowed.

Tim straightened his back. "Count on it."

"What do we already know?" 

"He was killed on campus; probably the last time we saw him since he didn’t change his clothes," Tim observed.

"I have a question," Eric interrupted. "Where did they put his head?"

~

Tim didn’t know what Horatio had been implying; he didn’t make rash decisions.

He snorted and shook his head. Why was he lying to himself? 

He had gone home, showered and changed. After having a light supper with Julia he had headed straight to Weatherly Park, looking for the past someone had been mauled a few nights before.

"Shouldn’t be out here at night, kid," a drunk slurred from the bushes beside him, making him jump. "It’s dangerous."

"Thanks," Tim replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he kept walking. "I’ll keep that in mind."

Further down the path he heard growling, seconds before he was attacked by a Vampire.

Tim’s instincts kicked in and he fought back, viciously defending himself from becoming the next victim.

"Freeze! Police!"

Both Vampire and Vampire Slayer froze. "Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Tim muttered, watching as the Vampire bolted over the nearest wall.

Tim took of after him, not caring about the police. He watched as the vampire scaled the chain link fence, ready to attack the human on the other side.

He was about to shout out to Miss French, warning her of the evil behind her; instead he saw the Vampire back away from the teacher, hissing with a mixture of fear and annoyance at her presence.

"What the hell?" he whispered to himself as the woman kept walking as though nothing had happened.

~

Horatio added another book to the pile already in his arms. "You went hunting last night?"

"Yes."

"Grab that," he instructed, nodding to a thick tome. "Even though you assured me you wouldn’t?"

"I’m a bad person… I lie to everyone. What makes you so special? Let’s move on, shall we?"

"Did you see this someone with a fork Daniel referred to?"

"Yeah… well, kinda. It was more like a claw than a fork."

"At least you didn’t get hurt."

Tim sighed and put the book on the nearby shelf. "I saw something else too. Something much more interesting than an average Vampire. You know Miss French?"

Horatio smiled bashfully. "Yes, she’s lovely."

Tim shuddered. "Whatever," he muttered. "She was heading home past the park last night. The claw guy went to attack her… the next thing I know, he’s running for cover and she’s standing there fine and dandy."

"He ran away?" Horatio asked in surprise.

"He was petrified."

"Of Miss French?" Tim nodded his head firmly. "I think it’s a good idea if we keep an eye on her."

"Then I better get to class. I’m already late anyway."

~

"I’m telling you. Her head twisted around," Tim insisted.

"You mean she craned her neck?" Lindsay clarified. 

"No. She twisted her head around. I’m talking full on exorcist twist."

"Any luck yet?" Tim asked, shrugging out of Danny’s jacket, which he had taken to wearing, and throwing it onto a nearby chair.

"None so far. There are no mentions of any creature that can strike fear into a Vampire’s heart."

"Try looking under things than can turn their heads around completely."

"Miss French?" Horatio ventured and Tim nodded. "Well, no human can do that."

Tim bit his lip in thought. "No… but some insects can." He turned and bolted up the stairs.

"What are you doing?"

"For once in my life, my homework," Tim called over his shoulder as he disappeared in between the bookshelves. "Where are the bug books?"

Horatio let his head fall to the desk in frustration as he pointed towards the far corner of the room.

"Right. I so knew that."

~

"Whoa!" Tim whistled.

"Either you’ve found what you were looking for…" Horatio called back.

"Or a book on motorcycles," Lindsay finished.

"No, I haven’t found a book on… there are books about bikes in this place?" Tim stared.

"Timothy, concentrate," Horatio instructed.

"Right… Find me those books, will you?" Tim grinned. " ‘The Praying Mantis can rotate its head one hundred and eighty degrees while waiting for it’s next meal to go by’," he read.

Lindsay frowned. "Don’t you think Miss French is sorta big for a bug?"

"And she is definitely shaped like a woman."

Tim cringed. "Ew." He stalked down the stairs and sat next to Lindsay, his boot clad feet on the desk. 

"Fact one: only the Praying Mantis can rotate its head like that. Fact two: a macho ass Vampire is afraid of Miss substitute teacher."

"If you’re right… and I’m not saying you are, she’d have to be a shape-shifter of a perception-distorter," Horatio mused.

"Tim…?" Lindsay whispered, her eyes glued to the computer monitor in front of her. "You know the guy who was helping Miss French yesterday?"

"Blayne?"

Lindsay nodded. "He never came home last night."

"And if he was helping Frenchie…"

"That’s what Eric is doing. He has a crush on giant insect!"

~

Tim flicked out his cigarette on to the floor when he saw Eric approaching. "Hey," he greeted, falling into step with him. "How’d it go with Miss French?"

"Well, you know, it’s tough being her absolute favourite guy in the world, but I’ll muddle through."

"Listen, Eric," Tim sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked. "Miss French isn’t all she seems."

"What’d you mean?"

Tim stopped. "I need to tell you something about her and you need to listen, ok?" Eric nodded and Tim took a deep breath before continuing. "I don’t think she’s human."

Eric chuckled. "Right, so if she’s not human, she’s…"

"Technically?" Tim flinched. "A big bug. I know it sounds crazy but…"

"It doesn’t. I understand."

Tim blinked. "You do?"

"I met someone and you’re jealous."

"I’m jealous?" Tim repeated, laughing loud. "Eric, I’m gay! How can I be jealous of you being Miss French’s favourite play thing?"

"I meant jealous that there’s something that’s attracted to me and not you for a change. We’ve got this thing between us; me and her. Chemistry."

"Technically, they’re called pheromones. It’s a chemical ‘come-hither’ insects give off to each other."

Eric rolled his eyes. "She’s not an insect, okay? She’s a woman, okay? Completely, all woman. I gotta go… Gonna be late."

Tim sighed with frustration and fell against the nearest wall; Eric was really stubborn when he wanted to be.

~

"…Appears in many cultures. The Greek Sirens, the Celtic sea-maidens who tore the flesh from the living form…"

"H!" Tim shouted. "While I’m still young enough to fight this thing!"

Horatio flushed to the roots of his hair. "Basically, the she-mantis assumes the form of a beautiful woman and lures innocent virgins back to her nest."

"Thank god!" Tim exclaimed. "What? At least I know she won’t want me. I haven’t been a virgin since that night behind the ‘W’ of the Hollywood sign…"

"Far more information about your sex life than I needed to know," Horatio commented, cutting Tim off mid-sentence.

"Bright side, at least we know Eric’s safe. I mean he’s not a…"

"He’s gonna die," Lindsay whispered fearfully.

"No he’s not. This thing is breeding, right? And we need to find it and kill it, right?" Horatio nodded. "Any tips on how we do that?"

"I would recommended cleaving all body parts with a sharp blade."

Tim grimaced. "Slide and dice. Great, another expensive dry cleaning bill. At least Vampire’s turn to dust. The only thing you need then is a good dust buster."

~

"Speed!" Julia shouted, knocking lightly on Tim’s door before barging into the room.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, pointing at the door which had been closed.

"I knocked," Julia rolled her eyes. "What is this?" she demanded holding up Tim’s white shirt, which was now stained with green.

"Praying Mantis blood," Tim advised her matter-of-factly. "I tried not to get it on me, but those bastards just bleed so much when you’re hacking off limbs, I couldn’t help it."

"You could have put in the sink to be cleaned! There’s green blood all over my clothes now."

Tim smiled apologetically. "Sorry?"

Julia growled before stalking out of the room. "God, you’re lucky I like you."

~

Danny and Tim looked at each other. Neither man said a word for a long time before Danny half-smiled. "I heard a rumour there was one less vampire walking around making a nuisance of himself."

Tim nodded and took a drink of his beer. "I guess I should thank you for the tip off."

"Pleasure’s mine," Danny smiled. "I like the jacket by the way," he nodded to the jacket Tim was still wearing.

"You want it back?"

Danny shook his head. "Keep it," he whispered, kissing Tim softly. "It looks better on you," he added, before leaving.

"Oh boy," the brunette whispered to himself, putting a finger against his lips. "This is going to get very complicated."


	3. Never Kill A Boy On A First Date

"And there will be a time of crisis. Of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come, the Anointed one.

"The Master’s great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him and he will lead him into Hell. As it is written, so shall it be.

"Five will die and from their ashes the Anointed shall rise. The Brethren of Aurelius shall greet him and usher him to his immortal destiny. As it is written, so shall it be.

"The Anointed will be my greatest weapon against the Slayer."

~

Lindsay was practically bursting with excitement as Tim told her about his plans to go out with Owen that night.

"It’s not a big deal," he insisted. "It’s just a bunch of people getting together."

"It is so a big deal! I told you, you couldn’t wait for Danny forever, didn’t I? You haven’t seen him in over a week."

"H, tell her it’s not a big deal."

"It is a big a deal."

"Ha! See, I told you it wasn’t… wait, what are you talking about?"

"What are  _you_ talking about?"

"Boys," they chorused.

Horatio sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Yes, well I’m talking about trouble. A violent and disturbing prophecy is about to be fulfilled."

"Aren’t you a little ray of sunshine this afternoon?" Tim glared.

"You remember the ring you found? The symbol refers to The Order of Aurelius. I’ve looked into his writings and he prophesised that the Brethren would bring the Anointed one to the Master."

"The Anointed one? Who’s that?" Tim questioned.

"I don’t know exactly. A warrior I would image. It says he will rise from the ashes of five on the evening of the thousandth day after the advent of Septus."

"Well, whenever that is we’ll be ready. Don’t sweat it."

"Which is tonight," Horatio finished. 

"Tonight, ok!" Tim’s eyes widened in realisation. "Not ok! It can’t be tonight."

Horatio huffed indignantly. "My calculations are precise."

"They’re bad calculations! Bad! Bad!"

"Speed has a very important date tonight," Lindsay supplied helpfully.

"With Owen!" Tim pouted.

Horatio snapped the book closed. "Oh, well in that case, I’ll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the Vampires to defer their prophecy while you take some boy to dinner and a show."

"Dinner and a show?" Tim scoffed. "What are we, in the twenties? Now, it’s pizza, a movie and s…"

"My point is…" Horatio glared. "This is no ordinary Vampire. We have got to stop him before he reaches the Master. I’m afraid your post-pubescent fantasies will have to wait. The dark forces are joining against us and we have a chance to beat them back."

"Tonight we go into battle."

~

The statue was not comfortable in the slightest; there was no where to sit and he was pretty sure an angel wing was digging into his spine.

"Perhaps I miscalculated," Horatio muttered reluctantly. 

"Ya think?" Tim rolled his eyes as he slurped his milkshake.

"Well, you know what they say: ninety percent of the Vampire-Slaying game is waiting."

Tim lowered the milkshake. "You couldn’t have told me that ninety percent ago?"

Horatio sighed somewhat regretfully. "I think we’ve waited around here long enough."

"Besides, there aren’t any fresh graves. Who’s gonna rise?"

"Apparently no one, tonight."

"Great!" Tim jumped up, throwing his milkshake at the base of the statue. "That means I can go to the Bronze and meet up with Owen."

"Very well, follow your hormones if you must. But I assume I don’t have to warn you about the hazards of becoming involved with someone who’s unaware of your unique condition."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"If your identity as a Slayer is revealed it could put you and all those around you in grave danger."

"Damn, I better take my button back. You know, the one that says ‘I’m a Slayer. Ask me what I can do for you’?" Horatio glared. "I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself. Good night."

Horatio watched as Tim left the cemetery and sighed. " ‘Five shall die and from the ashes the Anointed shall rise. I was sure it was tonight."

~

It was almost nine. Knowing his luck Owen had already got sick of waiting and bailed. He just hoped he hadn’t left yet.

It he was completely honest with himself, he knew he wanted Danny really. But the other man was never around unless he had some kind of cryptic clue for the Slayer and since he didn’t know anything about him, he had to rationalise that it wasn’t a good idea.

It didn’t stop Tim from jacking off with images of Danny in his head, or wearing the blonde’s jacket though.

He smiled brightly when he spotted Owen on the dance floor. Tim was moments away from walking over there when the crowd shifted and he saw that the teenager was wrapped around some redheaded guy.

No matter how hard he tried to, Tim found he couldn’t stop the twinge of hurt he felt at the sight.

~

"So you just went home? You did nothing?" Eric asked in disbelief.

"What was I supposed to say?" Tim slammed his locker closed. " ‘Sorry Owen, I was in the cemetery with a librarian waiting for a Vampire to rise so I could prevent a horrible evil prophecy’?"

"A flat tired would have worked."

"Owen!"

"What? Speed, I’m Eric. Owen is the guy…" he turned and found himself face to face with Owen. "Owen is right here!"

"Hey, Speed," Owen smiled nervously. "Where we you last night?"

"Erm… I couldn’t find my helmet and my guardian goes mad if I drive without it. Sorry," he blushed.

"Do you want to try it again, tonight?"

"What about Jack?" He really didn’t mean for that to sound so bitter.

"Jack Townsend? I danced with him a few times, he’s kind of grabby though."

"Oh. Well, in that case… I’m sure I can rearrange a few things. Tonight’ll work."

Owen flashed Tim a smile. "I’ll see you at seven."

~

Horatio had a migraine. He had spent all of the previous night, going over his calculations once more to see what he had missed; but everything was still adding up the same and the signs were all pointing to the night before.

He flinched when the door burst open and Tim fell through it. "Hey, how’s it going?"

"All right," he replied wearily, wondering where the conversation was going.

"Great. You still working on the Anointed One problem?" Horatio nodded. "That’ll probably take days, right?"

"It’s possible, there are many different interpretations of the prophecy."

"Which means tonight’s looking pretty slow?"

"Have you been drinking? You’re awfully chipper."

"No, I haven’t," Tim glared. "But since tonight’s not looking to be too big, that’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye!"

Horatio eyes widened in confusion as he watched Tim leave. "I’m not sure I understood a word of that," he muttered to himself.

~

Lindsay couldn’t believe Julia had watched Tim walk past her and take a beer from the back of the refrigerator.

"Have to keep it at the back," Tim explained, mistaking Lindsay’s amazed look for confusion. "If social services find out we have beer in the house…"

"He’d be out of here on his ass," Julia finished, not looking up from the magazine in front of her.

"Pretty much," Tim nodded, leading Lindsay to his room.

"How can she be so cool about you drinking alcohol on a school night?" she asked, sitting on Tim’s bed. "My mom panics if I have too much soda."

Tim twisted the cap off, taking a long drink before setting the bottle on his window ledge. "Her reasoning was that as long as I don’t over do it, I can pretty much do whatever I want. Except drugs," he shook his head. "That’s a no-no."

"Why?"

"Why no drugs?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Why does she give you free reign?"

Tim pulled open his closet, examining his clothing. "Because she knows that I’d just do it anyway," he shrugged. "She was a foster kid when she was my age and her foster parents were very strict. She wasn’t allowed to smoke or drink or anything."

"Because I didn’t know my limits I got so wasted that I was drugged on a night out," Julia’s voice spoke from the doorway. "That’s why I don’t mind him drinking, because at least I know he knows his limits and when to stop…" she glared at him.

"What is that?" she demanded, seeing the shirt in his hand.

Tim looked down in confusion. "What?"

"You are not wearing that," Julia informed him, throwing the shirt into the corner. "Go get in the shower, we’ll order Chinese and then we’ll see about dressing you."

~

"Argh!" Tim exclaimed in frustration, tightening the towel around his waist. "Which ones should I wear? Leather or Denim?"

Lindsay and Julia exchanged a look from where they were sitting on Tim’s bed, eating the takeaway. "It depends on what kind of impression you want to give him," Julia replied. "Denim suggests casual and chilled out; leather screams ‘I’m up for it, come give it to me’."

Both Tim and Lindsay laughed at her explanation. "Well, in that case… give me the leather!"

"Where are you going?" Julia asked as Tim pulled the pants on under his towel.

"I have no idea," Tim frowned, fastening the pants and pulling the towel away. "The movies, probably. Right, shirt!"

He held his hand out and Lindsay handed him a tight black shirt. "What?" she asked at his raised eyebrow. "I think it suits you."

The doorbell rang, making both Lindsay and Julia squeal. "He’s here!" they exclaimed, running down the stairs and pulling the door open.

"I’m so not going on a date with him," Tim scowled, walking down the stairs and seeing Horatio on the other side of the door.

"We need to talk," Horatio stated, his tone very serious.

"Speed’s not home!" The brunette tried to close the door, but Horatio stepped inside before he managed to.

"My calculations may not have been far off. Hello," he greeted Julia.

"Julia Morealez, Horatio Caine," Tim wearily introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Horatio replied distractedly, handing Tim a folded newspaper.

" ‘Five die in van accident’?" Tim read with a blank look.

" ‘Out of the ashes of five shall rise the one’ is the prophecy. And five people  _have_ died!"

"In a car crash. No Vampires involved."

"It’s still worth investigating," Horatio insisted. "The bodies were delivered to Sunnydale Funeral Home. We can…"

"H! What have you got against me?"

"I… what?" the redhead frowned in confusion.

"Hey," Owen greeted, stepping up to the open door.

"Owen," Julia purred. "Wow! Speed, I approve."

Tim blushed and glared at her. "Shut up!" he growled under his breath.

"You have a date?" Horatio asked in realisation.

Tim nodded. "Yes… and I will return those library books tomorrow."

"You’re not getting off that easily."

Owen whistled. "Wow, you really care about your work."

"Owen? Hi, I’m Julia – Tim’s guardian. About tonight…" She led Owen into the living room, all the while Tim a very pointed look.

"Don’t you ever do anything other than drink, smoke and date?" Horatio demanded in a hushed whisper.

"Occasionally I have sex," Tim shrugged. "Who cares if I go on one date with this guy? This van accident might just be that: an accident. It’s probably not Vampire related in the slightest."

Horatio still didn’t look convinced and Tim ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I promise I won’t go far, scouts honour."

"I very much doubt you were a Boy Scout."

"I promise, if the apocalypse comes… beep me."

~

Tim was bored; very bored. Owen was talking Emily Dickinson, which was not something Tim knew anything about. 

He was trying desperately to focus on what Owen was saying but no matter how hard he tried, his focus kept shifting and, more often than not, he found himself wondering where a certain blonde stranger was and what he was doing.

"Listen," he interrupted something Owen was saying about a poem would be Tim’s best guess. "This place is a little noisy. Do you want to go somewhere quieter? We can be alone," he added, smirking suggestively.

Owen flushed and nodded his head, murmuring something about going to get their coats before disappearing.

Tim turned when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. "Danny," he greeted, sounding far happier to see the other man than he had intended to.

"I thought I might find you here," Danny smiled. 

"Yeah, I hear this is where all the kids hang out," Tim smirked.

"There’s some serious stuff happening tonight."

Tim pouted. "Here and I thought you were here for something other than pleasure."

Danny smiled affectionately before turning serious once more. "You need to be out there."

Tim groaned and rolled his eyes. "Has Horatio being talking to you too?"

"Who?" Danny frowned before shaking his head. "What do you know?"

"Prophecy, Anointed one, blah, blah, blah."

"So you do know. Fine," Danny snapped. "I just thought I should warn you." 

"You see that guy over there?" Tim pointed towards Owen who was waiting in line. "He came here to be with me."

"Oh," Danny said quietly. "You’re on a date?"

"Yeah, I am. What? Did you think that one kiss would make me wait for you? That you’d be all I could think about and all I saw every time I closed my eyes? That I…"

He trailed off when the blonde stepped forward, sliding a hand around the back of his head and kissing him deeply, cutting off Tim’s words.

"Will you stop doing that?" Tim pushed him away an inch. "Stop messing with my head. You’re gonna leave now and I won’t know when you’ll show up again, so just leave me with my fantasies."

"What if I don’t want to leave you with your fantasies?" Danny challenged, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile. He kissed Tim softly. "What… if… I… want… to… make… those… fantasies… real?" 

Each word was punctuated with a kiss and Tim tried very hard to resist, but when he flicked his tongue out, to run it over his own lips and Danny sucked it into this mouth, all thoughts went out the window.

He pinned Danny against the wall behind him, burying his fingers in the shorter man’s hair and devouring his mouth hungrily.

"Tim?" Owen’s voice asked quietly from behind him and the two broke apart looking flushed.

"Owen," Tim breathed, trying to catch his breath. "Hi… erm… Owen, this is Danny," he lamely introduced them. "I was just… erm…" he looked at Danny, silently asking him to help.

"We were just saying, hi," Danny nodded. "If you’ll excuse us…" he grabbed the front of Tim’s shirt.

"Tim!" Lindsay exclaimed, running up to them and pulling a groan of frustration from Danny.

"What’s he doing here?" Eric demanded, glaring at Danny.

"Hopefully not the same thing you are," Danny retorted, with an equally intense glare, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Tim.

"Look, we’ve got to get to…" Lindsay stood on Eric’s foot, cutting the teenager off with a painful groan. "We thought it’d be fun if we made this a double date."

Lindsay nodded and leant closer as Eric wrapped an arm around her.

Tim frowned. "I didn’t know you guys were seeing each other."

"Oh yeah, it was bound to happen eventually. We figured why fight it?"

"Do you guys want to do something? You know what’s fun? The Sunnydale Funeral Home."

"I’ve always wanted to go there" Lindsay looked at Tim intently.

"The… funeral home?" Tim whispered, realising what Lindsay and Eric meant.

"That sounds kinda cool," Owen enthused. "Do you think we could sneak in?"

"We saw some guys in there before. They seemed to be having fun."

"Bite me," Tim growled.

"With pleasure," Danny murmured under his breath, just loud enough for Tim to hear. He grinned when the Slayer flushed hotly before glaring at him.

"Owen… I gotta go."

"What about the Funeral Home?"

"I’m gonna go with Danny. I’m sorry," he apologised, grabbing Danny’s wrist and dragging him from the club with his friends in tow.

~

"I’ll wait out here," Danny said when they arrived at the Funeral Home. "Guard the perimeter," he explained at their questioning looks.

"Good idea," Tim nodded, kissing him passionately before disappearing into the building.

The other man sighed as he leant against the wall, pulling his cigarettes out as he resigned himself to his fate.

"Urgh, this place gives me the creeps," Tim muttered as they made their way through the corridors.

"Wait," Eric said, "a cemetery is perfectly fine but a funeral home gives you the creeps?" Tim nodded. "That’s backward."

"Shh," Tim waved his hand, silencing his friends. "We’re hunting, remember? Stealth and surprise is good."

~

Tim let out a small shriek of surprise when the cooler door opened and the drawer slid out. "H!" he exclaimed. "What were you doing in there?" he grimaced, noticing the dead body that was keeping the redhead company.

"I was hiding from the Brethren," Horatio glared, climbing down from the drawer and straightening his suit. "They came in here after me."

"We have to find out what’s going on here. But first I need to get Lindsay and Eric out of harms way."

~

The sun was beginning to rise over the buildings as they left the funeral home. They said their goodnights before parting and heading back to their respective homes.

 

"You didn’t have to walk me home," Tim commented, glancing over at Danny.

The blonde grinned. "I know." He put his hands in his pockets. "You kicked some ass back there." Tim nodded. "It was hot."

The Slayer laughed as they headed up the path. "Will I see you again anytime soon?" he asked, turning to Danny on the porch.

He grinned and nodded his head. "Definitely," he murmured, kissing Tim softly. "Goodnight."

"Technically, it’s morning now," Tim pointed out.

"Whatever," Danny muttered. "Killing that Vamp in the Funeral Home managed to prevent the Anointed one from being…"

"Anointed?"

He laughed. "Anointed. Wherever the Master is right now, I think he’s gonna be very pissed."

~

The Master leant back in his throne, looking at his loyal servants. 

"And in this time will come the Anointed and the Slayer will not know him."

He rose from his seat and headed toward the gathered group of Vampires. "He will not stop him. And he will lead her into Hell."

He crouched down in front of the small child before him. An evil smirk spread across his face. In time, the Anointed will prove his worth and the Slayer would be dead.


	4. The Pack

Tim looked up from the map in surprise when he saw Lindsay and Eric run up to him, panting and both looking extremely flushed.

"Hey."

"You missed it!"

"Missed what exactly?" Tim asked wearily.

"The zebras were mating!" Lindsay exclaimed. "Very exciting."

Tim frowned. "The fact that you find that exciting worries me."

Lindsay glared. "It was like the Heimlich… with stripes."

"And I missed it? Somehow I think I’ll manage to live to see another day," Tim replied sarcastically.

"I want to go see the fish next."

"We have to go visit the hyenas," Eric commented.

"No… and no…" Tim shook his head. "I’ve already seen the fish and hyenas remind me too much of ‘The Lion King’. I’m going to see the crocs and have a smoke."

"Fine by me," Eric shrugged. "Meet you guys by the gift shop in an hour?"

Tim and Lindsay nodded, before the trio split up, each heading their separate ways.

The Slayer had no real intention on concentrating on the study of crocodiles. He just didn’t feel like being surrounded by his classmates.

He jumped when he felt arms slide around his waist from behind. "What are you looking at?" a familiar voice asked in his ear.

Tim relaxed when he realised the other person was Danny. "Crocodiles," he replied. "I’m trying to figure out which one ate Captain Hook’s hand."

Danny laughed. "I think it could have been that one." He pointed to one sleeping nearby. "He looks like he has something to hide."

Tim chuckled and turned around in Danny’s arms. "You haven’t been around for a few days," he stated accusingly. 

The blonde smiled apologetically. "Business. You know how it is it."

Tim nodded his head in understanding. "Are you here for business now? Or pleasure?" He slid his heads into Danny’s hair.

"Definitely pleasure," Danny grinned, kissing Tim softly. "I thought we could see some animals and make out; preferably inside."

Tim looked at him questioningly. "When the weather’s this nice?"

"My eyes are sensitive to sun," Danny explained dismissively. He leant down and kissed Tim breathless, making the Slayer forget about his comment.

~

The sticky buns looked delicious and they were calling his name, making it impossible for Tim to resist them.

"You sure, you don’t want one?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I’m good." She glanced around. "Eric’s late."

"He’s always late. It’s what he does."

"Says you. You were half an hour late back to the gift shop." Tim flushed. "Where were you?"

"Just catching up with a friend," he mumbled.

"A friend called Danny?" Tim blushed deeper. "I knew it! Is he a good kisser?"

"Linds!" Tim exclaimed. "I don’t kiss and tell." She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he is," he grudgingly admitted.

Lindsay squealed happily. "Do you think you’re going to go all the way with him?"

Tim shrugged. "I don’t know if I wanna get in that deep with a guy I barely know."

"That doesn’t sound like you."

"I know," he sighed. "Danny’s different, though. There’s something mysterious and aloof about him and that’s very hot."

~

Horatio winced with each blow Tim delivered to the pads on his hands. The padding didn’t seem to be doing much good protecting since he could still feel each blow.

Tim was just about to land a blow in the centre of the redhead’s chest when the librarian decided enough was enough. "Right! I think that’s enough training for one day."

The Slayer seemed to snap out of the daze he was in. "What? I think that last round was too sloppy for me. Want to go again?"

"No… No… No…" Horatio replied quickly. "That was fine. It wasn’t too sloppy at all. You just… you better get to class."

Tim frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. I’ll catch you later."

"I’ll be here… waiting for the feeling to return to my arms."

~

Tim frowned when he saw something that looked suspiciously like a pig in a helmet coming at him.

Before the pig knew it, Tim had picked it up and was holding it at arms length. "Pork chops anyone?"

"Thank goodness you caught him," the principal sighed with relief. "Everyone I’d like you all to meet Herbert. The new mascot for the Sunnydale High School Razorbacks."

"Are you sure? This little guy looks like lunch."

~

Lindsay stood around after gym, waiting for Eric. Something had happened recently that was affecting his behaviour and attitude toward everyone; but she couldn’t help feeling that most of his attitude was directed at her.

"What’s wrong with you?" she asked softly when she managed to pull him away from Sarah Piper and her friends.

Eric glanced over at the others before replying. "I bet you’ve noticed I’ve been different lately."

"Yes."

Eric pursed his lips. "I think I’m… I think it’s because my feelings for you have been changing. And we’ve been friends for such a long time, that I feel like I need to tell you something."

Lindsay’s stomach fluttered hopefully, eagerly awaiting Eric’s next words.

"I’ve decided… to drop Geometry. So I won’t need your math help any more. Which means I won’t have to look at your pasty face again," he smirked before laughing coldly.

Lindsay felt like she’d been punched in the stomach, listening to the laughter of Sarah and her friends. For a long moment she stared at Eric before turning away.

Tim was standing a few feet away, unknown to his friend. But when she stalked past him, tears smearing her mascara he slammed his locker closed angrily.

Eric stopped laughing when he saw Tim approaching.

"What?" Tim demanded. "Aren’t you brave enough to say something to me too?"

For a few seconds the other boy looked at him before bursting out laughing and walking off with his new friends.

~

Lindsay was sitting on the library floor behind the Ancient Greek books when Tim caught up with her. She was holding her head in her hands as tears wracked her body.

"Hey," Tim greeted softly, sitting down next to her.

"I don’t get it, Speed. Why is Eric acting so strange to me? What did I do wrong?"

Tim slipped an arm around her, pulling the girl closer. "Hey… you didn’t do anything wrong, okay? He’s being a dick because he’s a guy; they all do it. Trust me, I have an inside source."

Lindsay laughed through her tears. "As for why he’s acting different… I don’t know," he admitted.

"What are you two doing back here?" Horatio demanded, rounding the corner and seeing the two friends.

"Having wild monkey sex. What does it look like?" Tim rolled his eyes. "We’re talking… Hey, have you noticed anything strange about Eric lately?"

"Like what?"

"He’s teasing people, his clothes have changed and… he’s being a prick," Tim surmised.

"It’s bad isn’t it?" Lindsay asked tearfully.

"It’s terrible," Horatio agreed. "You’ll have to kill him. He’s turned into a 16 year old boy."

"H, I’m being serious!"

"So am I." He paused. "Except for the killing him part. You know as much as anyone; testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He’ll get over it eventually."

"You can’t tell me there isn’t something supernatural going on here. Get your books," he instructed. "Look stuff up!"

"What should I look under exactly?" Horatio asked wearily.

"I don’t know. That’s your department," Tim pouted.

"You said he scared the pig," Lindsay reminded Tim quietly.

Horatio raised an eyebrow, looking at Tim skeptically. "Well, he did!"

"Boy can be cruel. You tease… you… prey on the weak. It’s normal teen behaviour."

Tim opened his mouth, before snapping it closed again. "What did you just say?"

"They tease."

"They prey on the weak," Lindsay supplied. "I’ve heard that somewhere… A guy at the zoo said it while you were with…" Tim shook his head, "…the Crocodiles."

"And Eric has been acting strange ever since we were at the zoo," Tim finished. "He went to see the Hyenas."

"Are you implying he’s become a Hyena?"

"I don’t know. Maybe possessed by one. Not just him, though; all of them. All five of them."

"Well I’ve certainly never heard of…"

"Wait! Herbert!"

"The pork chop?"

"I heard they found him earlier. Dead and eaten," Lindsay explained.

"Where are you going?" Tim demanded when Horatio walked away.

"To get my books. Look stuff up."

~

Tim shut off the engine and stuck the keys in his pocket. He was not in the mood for school and would have stayed at home if he had been given a choice; but Julia had threatened to take away his motorcycle if he missed more than one day of school a week.

"Speed!" Eric called, jogging up to the brunette’s bike.

"I’m sorry, do I know you?" Tim questioned, not looking up at Eric.

"Look… man, I’ve already apologized for whatever I did during the possession thingy."

"To me," Tim nodded. "But you weren’t a dick to me. Talk to Lindsay and if she forgives you, I’ll see you in the Library later."


	5. Danny

Danny stood back, watching from the shadows as Tim left the Bronze. The blonde had come to the club, looking to meet Tim and maybe hide in the shadows together.

His plans had changed when he saw how miserable Tim looked; something was weighing heavy on his mind and Danny wanted to know what it was.

He followed the other man down the street, making sure to keep a fair distance between them. He didn’t want to be spotted before he knew exactly what he was going to say to him.

A frown crinkled his forehead when he saw three warriors attack Tim and drag him into a nearby Alley. 

"The Three!" he whispered, setting off down the street in a run, knowing who Tim was about to face and it wasn’t wise a wise thing to do alone.

The two shortest ones were holding Tim still while the third slowly advanced, about to sink his fanged teeth into the Slayer’s neck.

Danny grabbed a fist full of the Vampire’s hair and pulled him back. "Good dogs don’t…" he punched him, "bite."

Having managed to render one vampire useless, Danny turned to help Tim with the two who held him. He was so busy trying to ensure the other man was unharmed that he didn’t notice the first Vampire pull a piece of metal railing free.

Tim, however, noticed. "Look out!"

Danny turned in surprise, only to receive a blow to the stomach the railing. He let out a pained cry as he doubled over; the blow had pierced his skin, he knew it.

"Come on!" Tim said, helping Danny to his feet and supporting the older man as they fled the alley.

Together than ran the few blocks to Tim’s house, where he fumbled to open the locked door. "Come on!" he repeated. "Get inside."

No sooner was the invitation out of Tim’s mouth, Danny stepped across the threshold, pulling Tim with him and closing the door.

"Don’t worry," Danny assured him. "A Vampire can’t come in, unless it’s invited."

"I’ve heard of that theory, but never put it to the test." Tim leant forward, his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath.

"Trust me."

Tim grinned before he spotted Danny’s bloodstained T-shirt. "I’ll go get some bandages." The blonde followed him into the kitchen. "Just take your jacket and shirt off," he instructed.

"Couldn’t wait any longer to get me half naked, huh?" Danny smirked, peeling his jacket off, wincing slightly at the pain.

"Be glad I waited this long," Tim muttered.

"Why did you?" Tim tossed him a curious glance. "Wait this long, I mean."

The Slayer bit his lip. "I don’t know," he eventually admitted. "Nerves, I guess."

"I made the great Vampire Slayer nervous?" Danny grinned. "Ow!" he exclaimed when Tim pressed too hard on his wound.

"Sorry," he smiled angelically. "What were you doing there anyway?" 

"I live nearby," Danny explained quickly. "I was just walking, trying to clear my head."

"So you weren’t following me then?" Tim pulled a Band-Aid from the box and gently placed it on the wound. "I just had the feeling you were," he shrugged, blushing bashfully.

"What if I was?"

"It would have been nice of you to let me know," Tim commented. "I could have walked with you."

"Would you have?" Danny asked quietly.

Tim leant up and kissed Danny hard, pushing his tongue past the other mans lips, tasting the inside of his mouth. "Yeah," he whispered, his breath ghosting over Danny’s lips.

The front door opened and Tim darted out of the room, instructing Danny to stay put.

"Hey," Julia greeted, throwing her jacket over the banister. "You not out on patrol tonight?"

"Not now," he shook his head. "You didn’t see anyone out there, did you?"

"No. What’s wrong…? Whoa!" she exclaimed when she saw Danny come out of the kitchen.

"Hi," Danny greeted, shifting a little nervously.

"Erm… Jules this is Danny. Danny, this is Julia," he introduced them wearily.

"Nice to meet you," Danny nodded.

"Likewise," Julia purred. "Tim…"

"I know," Tim sighed. "I won’t be long."

"Just be quiet," Julia finished. "Goodnight."

"That your mom?" Danny asked curiously, following Tim up the stairs to his room.

"Nah," he shook his head. "My mom died when I was in kindergarten."

"Oh, I’m sorry," Danny whispered. "My family are dead as well. It was a long time ago."

Danny pulled his jacket off and fashioned it into a makeshift pillow, placing it on the floor next to Tim’s bed.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked curiously.

"There is two of us and only one bed. I’ll sleep on the floor."

"You don’t have to…"

Danny smiled and placed a hand on Tim’s cheek. "I’ve had worse," he whispered, kissing him softly. "Goodnight."

Through the darkness, Tim’s voice quietly said Danny’s name.

"Hmm?"

"Do you snore?"

Danny grinned widely. "I don’t know. It’s been a long time since anyone’s been in a position to let me know."

~

"He spent the night?" Eric asked.

"In your bed?" Lindsay pushed, her eyes lighting up.

"Not in my bed. Next to it."

"Did you, uh… I mean did he, uh…?"

"Perfect gentleman," Tim pouted.

"Only you would seem disappointed by that," Eric rolled his eyes.

"Do you think we could steer this riveting conversation back to what happened earlier in the evening?" Horatio wearily interrupted, setting his coffee down. 

"You left the Bronze and were attacked by three unusually virile Vampires." He set the book down in front of Tim. "Did they look like this?"

The brunette glanced at the picture and nodded when he saw the very three who had attacked him the night before. "What’s with the uniforms?"

"It seems you came across the Three. Warrior Vampires, very proud and very strong."

"How do you always know this stuff? You always know what’s going on. I never know what’s going on."

"You weren’t here from midnight until six researching it." Horatio held up his coffee.

"No," Lindsay nodded in agreement. "I was sleeping."

"Obviously your slaying is hurting the Master very much. He wouldn’t send the Three for just anyone. I think we should step up our training with weapons. But I doubt neither you nor Daniel are in any immediate danger."

"The Master will, undoubtedly, send someone else but in the meantime, the Three, having failed their mission will offer their own lives in penance."

~

Tim took a sword from the armoury and grinned widely. "Cool, a katana." He swung the sword in front of him.

Horatio grimaced and took the sword from him. "First, we start with the basics. After a few weeks, we’ll review your progress and consider moving on."

The teenager pouted. "So what are we starting on?" Horatio handed him a large wooden stick. "Oh, come on. You gotta be kidding me!"

"First we start with the basics. Then we’ll see."

~

Horatio hissed with pain as he lowered himself onto the seat. 

"You okay?" Tim asked, biting his lip nervously. He hadn’t meant to hit Horatio as hard as he had; being naturally stronger than most meant that the Slayer, quite literally did not know his own strength sometimes.

"I’m fine," the redhead waved his hand. "In a few days I’ll show you how to use the katana."

~

Tim pushed the door to his room open. The room was completely dark for some reason and he flicked on the bedside light.

"Hey," his blonde houseguest whispered from where he was sitting on Tim’s bed.

"I brought you some dinner." Tim held up a pizza box. "Fresh from Domino’s. I can’t cook."

Danny laughed, shifting over so Tim could sit next to him. "It’s okay. Pizza’s good. Italian food is delicious." 

"I gotta admit…" Tim shifted nervously. "I didn’t exactly bring you up here to eat."

Danny smirked and rested his hand on Tim’s thigh. "That’s good to know because I have a little confession. I didn’t come up here for food."

The blonde leant over and pressed a soft kiss against the other man’s lips. Tim moaned and ran his hand through Danny’s hair, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened.

Tim leant back and pulled Danny down onto top of him, never breaking the kiss as he ran a hand down the older man’s back, squeezing his ass firmly.

Danny felt pleasure rise inside of him and tipped his head back, moaning when Tim kissed down his neck. 

With a gasp he broke away and jumped off the bed, turning away from Tim.

"Danny?" Tim asked in confusion. "What’s…?"

When the blonde glanced back at him, Tim could see how his face and eyes had changed before Danny jumped out of the window, leaving Tim staring at the spot he had just vacated in horror.

"Fuck!"

~

Lindsay almost dropped her apple in horror. "Danny’s a Vampire?" she exclaimed.

"A little louder Linds! I don’t think Miss Perkins in the cafeteria heard you." Tim rolled his eyes.

"What exactly happened?" Horatio asked, following behind the two friends with Eric at his side.

"One minute we were kissing, the next he jumps up and he’s all… Can a Vampire ever be a good person?" he asked, looking at Horatio hopefully.

"I’m afraid a Vampire isn’t even a person at all. It may have the movements, memories, even personality of who it took over but it’s still a demon at the core. There just isn’t a halfway with them."

"That’s a no, then?"

"Then what was he doing? Why was he nice to me? Helping me with those Vampires. Do you think it was all part of the Master’s giant plan?" Tim sat down heavily on a nearby bench.

"And you’ve got to remember you’re the Slayer. And he’s a Vampire," Eric rationalised, sitting next to his friend. "I think it’s obvious what you have to do."

Tim looked at Horatio, hoping the librarian would argue differently. "It is a Slayer’s duty," he agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

Eric eyed him. "I know you have feelings for this guy, but it’s not like you’re in love with him, right?" Tim remained silent. "Oh my God! You’re in love with a Vampire!"

~

Danny groaned wearily as the pushed the door open. He was exhausted having spent the night aimlessly wandering around the town, trying to get his head on straight.

He knew getting too close to the Slayer was a dangerous thing. It had been a long time since he had let anyone get close enough to get under his skin. But Tim was different, he wasn’t just a Slayer. His humour, his wit, his charm; despite his best efforts, Danny found the other man very attractive and unforgettable.

But now he knew the blonde’s big secret, everything was over. Danny was going to be dust at the first chance Tim got, he knew it and part of him wanted it. Maybe then he would finally be free.

Free of the nagging voice in the back of his head that constantly tried to persuade him into tasting fresh human blood for the first time in over one hundred years.

He paused as he turned the dim light on; someone else was in the room he called a home, he could sense it was a Vampire but he couldn’t make out who.

"Who’s here?" he demanded quietly.

"A friend," a familiar voice replied. Danny’s head snapped up in surprise, seeing Darla step out of the shadows. "Hi," she smiled. "It’s been a while."

"Not long enough unfortunately," Danny retorted. "What’s with the catholic school girl look?" He light a cigarette, he had a feeling he would need it. "Last time I saw you, kimonos were your thing."

"And the last time I saw you it wasn’t high school boys," she countered. 

"This is nice." She nodded to her surroundings. "You’re living above ground, like one of them. And, rumour has it, you and your new friend are attacking us. Just like them."

She circled Danny, who turned with her, making sure to keep her in his sights at all times. He knew what she was capable of and refused to lower his guard around her.

"But guess what precious? You’re not one of them." She pulled open the blinds, revealing the bright early morning sunlight.

Danny groaned and turned his head away, his blue eyes watering from the brightness of the sun. Darla smirked, knowing that her companion’s eyes were more sensitive to sunlight than most Vampires; they always had been and some things just never change.

"Bitch," Danny snarled, slipping on his sunglasses once more. "I may not be one of them, but I’m not exactly one of you, either."

"Is that what you’re telling yourself these days?" she grinned. "I saw your little stash in fridge. That’s not exactly cheese and eggs you’re keeping in there." She stepped closer to him.

"You and I both know what you really want. What your instincts are crying out for." Danny glared at her venomously. "It’s nothing to be ashamed of, we all feel it. It’s who we are. It’s what makes eternal life worth living."

"You can only suppress your real nature for so long. I can feel it brewing inside you, I just hope I’m around when it explodes."

The Vampire in him was getting harder and harder to ignore as he listed to Darla. She knew it and smirked; she knew she was hitting a chord deep inside him that hadn’t been played in a long time.

"Maybe you don’t wanna be," Danny snarled, trying to get himself under control once more.

"I’m not afraid of you," she whispered, running a hand down his chest. "I bet he is though."

Darla shrugged. "Or maybe I’m underestimating him. Talk to him. Tell him about the curse, I’m sure he’ll understand. After all, how bad can what you did be?"

Danny growled in frustration and threw his lamp across the room. Darla knew he couldn’t tell Tim about the curse and the reason for it, it would make him seem like even more of a monster than Tim already thought he was.

~

Tim wasn’t concentrating; he couldn’t focus. His mind kept wandering away and landing on the picture of Danny’s face, distorted like every other Vampire Tim had slain. But there was something about him that made Danny different. He knew he wasn’t like the rest, but he had no idea if he was worse or better than the other.

"Here," Horatio said quietly. "This is a diary of one of the previous watchers. There’s mention some two hundred years ago in Italy of Daniel Messiah, believed to have been sent by the devil to trick God’s angels into thinking he was one of them." They all looked at him blankly. "Because of his angelic face."

"You can say that again," Tim muttered.

Horatio continued studying the text in front of him. "Does this Daniel have a tattoo on his right shoulder?"

Tim nodded. "A circle, with a shit load of swirls and patterns."

"You saw him naked?" Lindsay questioned curiously.

"Only half," Tim shrugged. "We didn’t get much further than that."

"So Danny’s been around for a while?" Eric asked, trying to steer the conversation off the other man’s naked body.

"Not long for a Vampire. Only 240 years or so."

"He wasn’t lying when he said he was older than me."

Horatio continued reading from the diary, "Daniel left Italy, leaving behind a mass of havoc across Europe for several decades and then about eighty years ago something strange happened."

"What?" Tim demanded.

"He came to America, shunned other Vampires and spent all his time living alone. There’s no record of him hunting here at all."

"So he is a good Vampire!" Lindsay exclaimed happily. "Not killing for the past eighty years has to get him points, hasn’t it?"

"Well, I say there’s no record but Vampires hunt and kill. It’s what they do; what they’re bred to do."

"Fish got to swim. Birds got to fly," Eric added.

Tim shook his head. "It still doesn’t make sense. He could have fed on me but he didn’t. He had plenty of opportunity to kill me, why didn’t he?"

"I don’t know," Horatio admitted.

"I got a question. Before he came to America, a hundred years before, what was he like then?"

Horatio hesitated for a moment. "Like all of them. A vicious, violent animal who killed for sport and pleasure."

~

Coffee. Julia needed coffee. It had been a long hard week at the gallery, with people getting stressed over something so simple as where to place the welcome mat (the front door seemed like too obvious a place, apparently).

Not to mention, Tim coming in at all hours after a hunt seemed to be waking her up like it never had before. She couldn’t decide if Tim was getting louder, or there was something in Sunnydale that was making her paranoid about her foster child being out late.

A creak on the back porch caught her attention and her alarms bells immediately started ringing.

She had been chosen by the council to foster the rebellious Slayer in the hopes that she would be able to get Tim back on the straight and narrow. This meant that while she wasn’t as clued in as Speed was, she knew the finer points about Vampires.

The first thing Tim had taught her was to never investigate strange noises without a weapon.

Julia reached out and pulled a sharp knife from the nearby block, before she cautiously opened the back door and stepped onto the porch.

~

"Hey, Jules," Tim called wearily, stepping into the kitchen and throwing his book bag on the island. "I’m home…"

He looked in horror when he saw his guardian lying on the floor, with two bite marks on her neck. "What did you do?" Tim demanded of Danny, who was crouching down next to her in full Vampire mode.

Danny remained silent, backing away a little and growling at his own stupidity for being caught.

Tim ran over to him and with all his Slayer strength threw him through the nearest window.

"You’re not welcome here," he said evenly as Danny got to his feet. "You come near us again and I will kill you."

~

"Julia’s going to be alright," Horatio assured Tim. "With iron she’ll recover well. It presents itself like mild anaemia. You were lucky you got to her when you did."

"Lucky?" Tim shook his head. "Stupid."

"Speed, this is not your fault."

"No?" Tim argued. "I let him into my home. Our home. Jules got attacked because I let that bastard in without knowing who he really was. I didn’t do anything about it. Because I had feelings for him. Because I cared about him."

"If you care about somebody, you care about them. You can’t change that by…"

"Killing them?" Tim finished for Lindsay. "Maybe not, but it’s a start." 

Tim turned and headed down the hospital corridor.

"We’ll keep an eye on Julia," Eric called after him.

"Thank you," Tim answered sincerely. "Now if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to get my katana."

~

Danny could feel his resolve breaking. The longer he was around Darla, the stronger his inner voice became; telling him to hunt, kill and maim. Like he had done so many decades before.

"He’s out hunting you now. He wants to kill you," the blonde woman whispered in his ear.

Danny gritted his teeth. "Leave me alone."

"What? Did you think you could reveal your true nature and the Slayer would be alright about it? Accept you for who you are inside." Darla pouted. 

"Wake up, Daniel," she scoffed. "You’re a Vampire, he’s the Slayer. One was meant to kill the other. That’s the way it’s always been."

"For a hundred years you have not had a moments peace because you will not accept who you truly are. That’s all you have to do. Accept it, give in to your desires and you’ll finally be free."

Danny looked away but Darla followed, remaining in his line of sight. "Don’t let her hunt you down. Don’t whimper and whine like a lowly human. Do what is in your heart. Kill."

~

He didn’t like the bronze at night, after closing time. It was dark and eerily silent; although Tim swore he could still hear the distant echoing of the band. Even though they had long since left the stage.

The floor creaked behind him and he spun around, brandishing his sword. "I know you’re there. And I know what you are. Stop being a coward and show yourself."

"Do you?" Danny’s voice asked softly. "I’m just an animal, right?"

"You’re not an animal. I kinda like animals."

A growl cut through the darkness and Danny stepped out from the shadows, his face distorted, like every other Vampire.

"Then let’s get this done."

Danny wasn’t a fool, he had brought his own sword with him. 

Unlike Tim, he hadn’t had a watcher training him on the proper use of one; however, he had studied in Japan for several decades – right before killing his tutor. He knew his way around a weapon more than the average Vampire. 

Tim fought hard, never once relenting or showing the Vampire any mercy. Danny hadn’t expected any either. Showing mercy would be a weakness on the Slayer’s part and a Slayer who showed weakness was a poor Slayer.

He hissed in pain when Tim’s katana caught his arm, slicing through his jacket and piercing his flesh a little.

"Aww, did the poor Vampire get hurt?" Tim pouted, attacking harder and faster; Danny wasn’t sure whether anger was fuelling the fight or adrenaline.

Tim swung around, pulling Danny’s own out from underneath him and sending him to the ground. They both froze when they realised Tim had his sword at Danny’s throat, mere inches from his skin.

The Slayer watched as Danny’s fight reverted back to the way it should be.

"Come on," Danny hissed, trying to provoke him into finishing the job. "Don’t go soft on me now. Do it!"

Tim dragged the blade across his cheek, leaving a small trail of blood behind. "Why? Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance? Was it all an elaborate joke? To make me feel something for you, right before you hand me over to the Master."

He lowered the sword. "I’ve killed a lot of Vampires. I’ve only ever hated one before," he said sadly, thinking of his previous Watcher. "But then you came along and made me realise, you’re all the same."

"Feels good doesn’t it? Hate. It’s so simple and easy to do."

"I invited you into my home and you attacked the only family I have!" Tim shouted, his brown eyes darkening with hatred.

"Why shouldn’t I? I killed mine; every single one of them. While they were sleeping. My Father, Mother, Louie, even little Sara and Lily. I killed their friends, then their families. For one hundred years, any one who crossed my path met with a grisly death."

He stepped closer to Tim. "And I did it with a song in my heart. Each death, every drop of blood, warmed my very being."

"What changed?"

"I fed on a girl, about your age. She was beautiful, but not clever at all. She was a favourite amongst her clan."

"Clan?"

"The Romany. Gypsies," Danny explained further at Tim’s confused look. "The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."

"That was the best they could do?"

"When you become a Vampire, the demon takes your body but not your soul. That disappears. Without your soul, you don’t have a conscience, no remorse or guilt. It’s an easy way to live."

He shook his head. "You can’t imagine what it’s like to have done the things I’ve done and actually care. I haven’t fed on a single human being since that day."

"Why?"

"For fear of killing them and turning into the demon I once was."

"And you started with Julia."

"What?" Danny’s blue eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! I swear, I never touched her. I don’t know who did, but I found her on the back porch like that and dragged her inside so she’d be safe from Vampires."

"Then why were you all Vamped out when I came home?" Tim demanded.

"Because I was angry that someone would do that to some you were so close to," Danny admitted bashfully.

"I don’t believe you," Tim spat.

"Fine, don’t!" Danny hissed. "I wanted to kill you tonight," he stated.

Tim slowly placed his sword on the ground and moved closer to Danny, tilting his head to one side and exposing his neck to the Vampire. "Go ahead."

Every fibre in his body was telling him to sink his fangs into Tim’s flesh and taste the rich coppery blood flowing through his veins until their wasn’t a drop left. But he couldn’t, his feelings for the Slayer were over riding his natural instincts. 

"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Tim whispered, seeing that Danny wasn’t going to do anything to him.

"Sure it is," a female voice purred from the darkened corner.

"There was a time we shared everything, wasn’t there, Daniel? You had a chance to rule in the Master’s court for a thousand years, but you threw it away for him," Darla summarised. "You love someone who hates us."

Tim’s head snapped around in surprise at Darla’s declaration and he couldn’t help but wonder if it were true.

"You’re sick and you’ll always be sick. And you’ll always remember what it was like… to watch him die."

~

Lindsay nudged her friend in the side. "Look," she nodded to the other side of the room. "Danny’s here."

"Yeah," Tim sighed, straightening his shirt.

"What are you going to do?" Eric asked, drinking his soda.

"The only thing I can do," Tim shrugged, excusing himself and heading over to Danny.

"Can we talk?" Danny asked quietly. "Outside where I can actually hear myself think?"

Tim smiled tightly and nodded his head, following the Vampire out of the building.

"Look, Tim," he ran his hand through his hair, "I feel like I need to explain myself."

The brunette placed a finger over Danny’s lips. "I’m not going to even pretend to understand why you were helping me. But I know why you didn’t tell me the truth. Eric was right, killing Vampires is what I do; it’s who I am."

Danny nodded his head. 

"But I think I’m going to have to make an exception."

"What?" the other man asked in surprise.

"Last night, I waned to kill you. Every thing in my training and gut was telling me to move that sword a few inches and take your head. But… I couldn’t. I can’t do it, Danny. I care about you too much. I still do."

Danny took a large gulp of unneeded air. "Even though you know who I really am?" he pushed uncertainly.

"Even though I know who you really are," Tim nodded, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

The blonde flashed him a brilliant smile; a smile that made Tim’s stomach flip happily, before their mouths met softly.

"Isn’t this breaking about a billion rules?" Danny whispered against his lips.

"Probably. It’s not like I haven’t broken every other rule there is."


	6. The Puppet Show

The library was empty, which in its self was strange, but Tim wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had been trying to take a watcher’s diary out of Horatio’s personal collection for a little over a week.

But every time he thought he had a chance to take one without being noticed, Horatio had always re-appeared from behind a bookshelf, wanting to know what he was looking for.

Now, by some twist of fate, the redhead appeared to have left his library and thus the books Tim was looking for. He knew he would be able to borrow the diary if he asked, but his reasons for wanting it weren’t relating to his duty as a Slayer. 

He wanted to know what they said about Danny; plain and simple.

"Hey, Speed!" Eric greeted, entering the library with Lindsay. 

Tim quickly slid the volume into his backpack and turned to his friends.

"Hey," he smiled, trying not to look too guilty.

"Have you heard where Horatio is?" Tim shook his head. "He’s in the auditorium. They made him in charge of the talent show."

Tim let out a snort of laughter. "You’re kidding right? I so have to see this."

~

The Slayer grimaced as Calleigh made her way of the stage after a horrible rendition of ‘Greatest Love of all’.

"When I find the person who told her she could sing… I’m gonna dust ‘em," Tim muttered, heading down to where Horatio was sitting, slowly sinking lower into his chair.

"Oh, perfect," Horatio muttered, seeing the three friends. "You three."

"How the hell did you manage to get roped into the school talent show?" Tim asked, sliding into the seat next to his Watcher.

"Our new principal, Mr Stetler. He thought it would be a worthwhile exercise for me; to have more contact with the students. I did try to explain that my choice of librarian was a deliberate attempt to minimise that contact, but he wouldn’t have it."

Tim smirked. "H, into every generation is born one who must run the annual talentless show. You cannot escape your destiny."

"You’re not funny," Horatio glared.

"Come on, that was a little funny," Tim shrugged his shoulders, looking at Lindsay hopefully. "Right?"

"Just a little."

"If you had any decency you would have participated. Or at least helped."

"Yeah, right," Tim snorted. "We’ll catch you later. Have fun with the freaks."

"Uh oh," Eric muttered as they bumped into their new principal.

"So," Stetler began, "we think school events are stupid and we think authority figures are to be made fun of, do we?"

"No, no, we don’t," Tim assured him. "Unless you do," he bit his lip.

"What about our afternoon classes? Are they optional?" They shook their heads. "Then how do you explain why all three of you left campus yesterday."

"That was life or death," Tim explained. "It really was."

"Since it was unauthorised," Stetler folded his arms across his chest, "I think I just found three eager participants for the talent show."

Horatio smirked to himself as he listened. 

"I’ve been watching you three. Always getting into one scrape or another."

"We’re really sorry about that, but the talent show… you can’t make us!"

"My predecessor may have gone in for all the touchy-feely relating nonsense but he was eaten. So we can see how well that worked out." He grinned menacingly. "You’re in my world now."

~

Tim groaned and glanced again at his text. 

" ‘In sooth, I know not why I am so sad;

It wearies me; you say it wearies you,

But how I caught it, found it, or came by it’," he read. 

"Is that even English?"

He glanced over at Danny, who was lying on the couch reading a television magazine.

"Danny!"

"Hmm?" he replied without looking up.

"Are you even listening to me?" Tim demanded.

"Of course I am," he assured the Slayer. "You were saying something about being sad."

Tim threw down the book in annoyance. "I don’t even see why I have to do the bloody talent show anyway. I’m talentless. I have accepted it. Why can’t other people?"

"You are not talentless."

"Yes, I am," Tim argued. "The only thing I’m good at is slaying and it’s not like I can do that in front of the whole school."

Danny laughed and sat up, picking the book up from the floor. "Here," he said, getting to his feet. "Try this bit."

" ‘Sweet Portia… 

If you did know to whom I gave the ring… 

If you did know for whom I gave the ring. 

And would conceive for what I gave the ring. 

And how unwillingly I left the ring. 

When nought would be accepted but the ring, 

You would abate the strength of your displeasure.’" Danny handed the book to Tim.

Tim shivered a little when their fingers brushed and he could feel a blush rising in his cheeks, even though he tried to ignore it as he focused on the text.

"If you had known the virtue of the ring, 

Or half her worthiness that gave the ring, 

Or your own honour to contain the ring. 

You would not then have parted with the ring.  
What man is there so much unreasonable, 

If you had pleased to have defended it, 

With any terms of zeal, wanted the modesty, 

To urge the thing held as a ceremony? 

Nerissa teaches me what to believe: 

I'll die for't but some woman had the ring."

Danny grinned widely. "See? You do have talent besides slaying."

The blonde slid his arm around Tim, pulling him closer and kissing him softly.

"You only agreed to help me practise so we could make out, didn’t you?" Tim accused him.

"Something like that," he smirked, kissing him deeper.

~

"I don’t like it when they find dead bodies," Lindsay shivered. "It creeps me out."

"I know what you mean," Tim nodded. "Dead bodies usually mean more slaying and work. I swear too much work and not enough fun, make Tim a very cranky Slayer."

He nodded toward Horatio who was ducking under the crime scene tape. "It was Maxine," he informed them.

"Dancer Maxine?" Lindsay clarified.

"I hate this school," Eric sighed. 

"It must have happened after dress rehearsals. I saw her then," Tim pointed out. "Was it a Vampire?"

The Librarian looked around. "I don’t think so."

"You know something. What happened to her?" Tim demanded of the redhead.

"Her heart was removed," Horatio said quietly.

"Yikes," Lindsay grimaced.

"Does that mean anything? Besides, being seriously disgusting."

Caine pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "There are some demons which feed off human hearts," he recalled. "But…" he tossed a look over his shoulder, just as an investigator came out of the bathroom, sealing a plastic evidence bag containing a bloody knife.

"But demons have claws and teeth," Tim finished. "They don’t need knives."

~

Tim was weary, very weary. He didn’t think he had ever asked so many questions.

Horatio wanted to find out if Maxine’s murder was human or demonic, which meant Lindsay, Eric and Tim spent all afternoon running around playing super sleuth before reporting their answers to Horatio, who was playing lead detective in their investigation.

With a groan Tim fell to the bed and sighed with relief. It felt so good to be able to sit down for longer than a few seconds.

"You sound exhausted."

Tim rolled over in surprise, before releasing the breath he was holding. "Jesus," he groaned. "Would you not do that?"

Danny chuckled. "Sorry," he apologised, lying on the bed next to Tim. "Why are you tired?"

"Horatio. He’s got us all running around searching for leads; like we’re playing a giant game of Clue."

The Vampire laughed and kissed him softly. When they pulled away Tim frowned and ran his fingers over the scar at the bottom of Danny’s neck. 

"It’s still there," he murmured.

"I know." Danny shrugged. "I don’t mind. Reminds me of you."

"But I burnt you," Tim argued.

"Accidentally." Tim still didn’t look convinced. "Look, if it really hurt me that much, I would have said something. Every time I do this…" he kissed him deeply, "I can feel the silver on my skin and it doesn’t bother me."

"Now, come on," he tugged on Tim’s hand, pulling him to his feet. "Julia said something about fried chicken and movies."

~

Eric growled in annoyance as the three of them headed into the library. 

"The next time we split up, someone else is on Calleigh duty. I had to spend a whole hour listening to how it could be her next. Five more minutes with her and we would have had another organ donor."

"Please don’t get my hopes up," Tim yawned widely.

"You seem a little out of it this morning. What were you doing last night?"

"Watching movies. With Danny."

Lindsay squealed. "Did you do anything else?"

"No," the Slayer pouted. "Him and Jules were bonding over some boring movie that was supposed to be a comedy. Why did I have to get a boyfriend my guardian likes?"

"Does she know about the whole…?" Eric made biting motions.

"Yeah," Tim nodded. "Perfectly okay with it. Once I explained the having a soul part to her. She thinks he’s gorgeous."

"Linds, did you have any luck finding a lead?"

"Everyone I spoke to pointed the finger at the same person."

"Morgan?" Tim pre-empted.

"Morgan. How did you know?"

"That’s pretty much what I got. Plus him and that dummy have been acting awfully friendly lately. Do you think he’s doing unspeakable things to it?"

Lindsay grimaced. "Ew…"

"Yeah, you’re right. He probably has a blow up doll for that."

"Tim!" She elbowed him. "Be nice!"

"I am!"

"H! We think we know whodunnit!" Eric advised him. "Morgan."

"Yes, that’s what I managed to uncover as well."

"So what do we do? Do we bring him to justice? Or what?"

"We could set up a sting operation where we get him to confess?" Lindsay suggested. Everyone turned to look at her. "What? It could work."

Tim grinned and wrapped an arm around her. "You have seen ‘NYPD Blue’ too many times, my friend."

~

Julia pushed Tim’s bedroom door open and was surprised to see him surrounded by books.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen you surrounded by books. Are you feeling okay?"

Tim glared at her and highlighted a section of text. "I’m trying to decide which part would be the best to perform."

"You mean you haven’t chosen yet?" Julia leant against the door jam, folding her arms across her chest. "What have you been doing with Danny when you’re supposed to be rehearsing then?" She paused. "Actually, I don’t want to know."

"We have been rehearsing," Tim replied, ignoring her comment. "But I don’t get all this Shakespeare crap."

"What play have you chosen?" Tim gave her a blank look. "There’s your first problem."

She crossed the room, sitting opposite Tim and pulling the nearest book closer. "Let’s find you a decent one."

~

"Now do you see why I don’t like dummies?" Tim muttered, smoothing down his black shirt.

He and Eric were waiting in the wings to take their respective cues. Calleigh’s droning was drowning out any sound in the local vicinity and they didn’t have to worry about being over heard.

"You mean because Sid attacked students and tried to kill you?"

"Pretty much."

"Then yeah, I totally understand and sympathise," he nodded as Calleigh finished screeching out the final note. "That’s your cue, Speed."

"Oh god," the Slayer muttered.

"Break a leg."

"What?" Tim glared at Eric. "That’s not a very nice thing to…"

"It means good luck. It’s what actors say to each other all the time."

"Oh right, I knew that," he groaned, stepping out onto the brightly-lit stage.

He couldn’t see past the first row, which was filled with teachers and other unimportant people, so he didn’t notice Danny slip in the back of the auditorium and make his way to the seat next to Julia.

"I didn’t miss it, did I?" the blonde whispered.

"Just in time," Julia smiled as Tim began to recite his monologue.

" ‘Two households, both alike in dignity,  
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.  
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes  
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;  
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows  
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.  
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,  
And the continuance of their parents' rage,  
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,  
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;  
The which if you with patient ears attend,  
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.’"

~

Tim’s eyes widened when he saw Danny waiting with Julia after the show. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Danny pouted. "It would be nice to get a ‘good to see you’," he commented. "I came to see the show."

"Okay, better question: how did you get in here?"

"Jules asked me to come to the show. Now will you shut up and let me congratulate you? God, you talk a lot!"


	7. Nightmares

Tim fell to the bed, moaning into Danny’s mouth and running his fingers through the other man’s hair.

Danny leant up on one arm, kissing his way across Tim’s jaw line and down his neck, licking his tongue along the vein he could sense under the Slayer’s skin.

Buttons flew everywhere when he ripped the shirt open, revealing Tim’s muscled chest. 

Tim gasped and arched his back, pressing into Danny’s touch when he felt the Vampire’s tongue lap at his nipples, while his hands worked on removing Tim’s jeans.

Danny spread Tim’s legs wide as he prepared him. In no time the infamous Vampire Slayer was writing around and pushing back on his fingers, begging for more. And Danny was more than happy to oblige.

A happy sigh fell from his lips as he slowly slid inside Tim’s welcoming body. It had been a long time he had felt anything even close to what he did for Tim and the warm body underneath him made him forget about what he was and what he had done.

He swallowed every moan and gasp Tim made as he came, clenching his muscles around the cock inside him. The increase of friction around his already sensitive flesh pushed Danny over the edge, and he came with a cry of Tim’s name, burying himself in the other man’s body.

~

Tim’s brown eyes flickered open. He didn’t know what time it was, but he knew it had to be pretty early still, since the sun was barely over the horizon.

He sat up and glanced to his side; Danny was lying next to him, looking blissfully peaceful as he slept, unaware Tim was watching him. 

His chest wasn’t rising and falling as it should and Tim was reminded that the person next to him wasn’t a person at all. Danny was a Vampire; a cold-blooded evil Vampire who could have killed him in his sleep.

He knew what he had to do, he had a duty as a Slayer to make sure the Vampire didn’t hurt anyone.

Reaching down, he slid a dagger out from under the bed. Danny didn’t stir as Tim pressed a soft kiss on the other man’s forehead before dragging the blade across the Vampire’s throat, reducing him to a pile of grey ashes.

~

Tim’s eyes flew open and a small yelp escaped his mouth. All the blood rushed to his head when he sat upright, but he didn’t care. He needed to see if Danny was okay.

The other side of the bed was empty and he found he didn’t dare pull back the covers for fear of what he might see.

His bedroom door opened and he automatically checked to make sure he was covered up. 

"Danny…" he breathed seeing his lover enter the room, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. "Thank god," he jumped off the bed and through himself into the Vampire’s arms.

He knew he was acting like a little girl but he didn’t care. The dream had been so real and he felt like he had to ensure himself he hadn’t really hurt Danny.

Danny let out a startled noise and tentatively wrapped him arms around him. "Okay," he murmured. "Good morning."

"Where were you?" Tim demanded.

"Getting some coffee." Danny frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Tim shrugged. "Fine," he repeated.

"Then why are you looking at my neck like that?"

Tim shook his head, blinking in surprise. "It’s nothing… I just had a strange dream that’s all. Don’t worry about it."

~

Not for the first time in his academic career, Tim wasn’t listening. He was trying to focus on what Miss Angora-Sweater was saying, but everything she said was a blur.

His mind kept replaying the dream he had, over and over. And each time, it seemed to be worse than the previous time.

He groaned when his pencil flew to the ground. When he bent over he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eyes. He frowned when he saw a young brunette boy standing in the doorway, staring at him.

A scream caught his attention and he sat upright and he stared in horror when he saw a fellow classmate covered in tarantulas.

"Sorry about that," a quiet voice said from the doorway.

Tim whirled around only to find that the kid was nowhere to be found.

~

Horatio set down the books he was holding. Tim had asked him to look up demons that could create spiders out of thin air and the redhead couldn’t believe he had actually agreed.

A bunch of spiders appearing and traumatising a teenage boy didn’t seem to fit the modus operandi of a scary demon.

He turned and frowned when he encountered a shelf that he was sure wasn’t there before. 

"Strange," he muttered to himself, taking a few steps to the left and rounding a corner where he met a dead end. "What the…?"

"H!" he heard Tim’s voice call from the Library. "You here?"

Horatio backtracked and moved to go around another bookcase, where he encountered yet another dead end. This pattern followed for a few more minutes before he was finally able to find a way out of the stacks.

Something strange was happening in the school and he didn’t like it at all.

~

Calleigh rose from her seat and headed to the front of the class.

"Class," the teacher called, silencing his pupils. "I believe your fellow student has an announcement to make."

"Class," the blonde began. "I have discovered something unnerving about a member of this class."

Instantly the students began to whisper amongst themselves and the teacher had to call quiet once more.

"It has come to my attention that Tim Speedle is a Vampire Slayer."

Tim felt himself blush as all eyes turned on him.

"He goes around killing Vampires by chopping their heads off and turning them to dust." Calleigh grinned excitedly, she was very clearly enjoying herself. "And, he’s sleeping with a Vampire."

Tim slid lower in his chair, hoping the ground would open up and swallow him. He didn’t know how Calleigh knew what she was saying, but now everyone knew the truth about him. He would be labelled as an even bigger freak than they already thought he was.

His head snapped around in surprise when he saw the same kid he had seen a few days ago.

"Hey…" he began to say, but as before the kid disappeared right before his eyes.

~

"Speed!" Lindsay whispered, putting her hand on Tim’s arm and shaking him slightly.

Tim sat upright, looking around wildly as he knocked his notebook on the floor.

"Is there a problem, Mr Speedle?" the biology teacher asked.

"No, sir," Tim muttered leaning back in his chair. "What happened?" he whispered when the teacher’s back was turned.

"You fell asleep. Are you okay?"

Tim ran a hand over his face. "I’m not sure."

~

Eric bit the end of his pencil as he studied the test in front of him. He was one the second to last question and he had plenty of time left to spare.

"Eric," Lindsay whispered urgently.

He waved his hand, shushing her as he concentrated. "Eric!" she repeated, sounding more urgent the second time.

"What?" Eric demanded, lifting his head and looking at his friend.

"Mr Delko!" the math teacher called from the front of the class. "This test is to be done in silence."

"Sorry," he muttered, lowering his head.

"And I don’t think you’re attire is appropriate for a classroom, do you?"

"What?" he glanced down at himself and his brown eyes widened when he saw he wasn’t wearing anything other than his boxer shorts.

~

"This is not happening. This is not happening," Horatio was muttering to himself.

"What isn’t?"

"I’m trying to do research…"

"Did you find anything?"

"I don’t know," Horatio admitted.

"You don’t know if you found something?"

Horatio sighed and glanced away from Tim, trying to find the right words. "I… I can’t read!"

"What’d you mean? You can read like ten languages."

"Five actually… on a normal day," Horatio corrected. "It’s just the words here don’t make any sense."

"Let me see." Tim took the newspaper off of the librarian and skimmed the text. "This is him."

"Who?"

"The kid I keep seeing around school. ‘Twelve year old Billy Palmer was found unconscious after his League game on Saturday. Doctors describe his condition as critical’."

He glanced at the date. "This was published last week. It says he’s in a coma in intensive care." His eyes widened in surprise. "This is the kid from the hospital."

~

Tim changed the channel before setting remote down next to him. Julia was on one side of him, while Danny was on the other.

They were all sat in silence, Tim didn’t know about the others but he knew he had far too much on his mind right then to try and make small talk.

"Tim…" Julia sighed, reaching across her foster child and shutting the television off. "We need to talk. Social services came by earlier. They said you’re not developing your social skills as well as they want you to."

"What?"

"They’re taking you away from me," Julia informed him, matter-of-factly. "I’m not a good enough role model for you. They think you need stronger discipline; they’re placing you into a home for juvenile delinquents."

"What? No! They can’t! They can’t take me! I won’t let them."

"I’m afraid you don’t have a say in it. You’re still a minor and you’re under their control. What they say goes. You leave first thing in the morning."

"But…"

Danny sat up and faced Tim. "While we’re getting things out in the open. I lied to you, Tim. I don’t have a soul. All this time, I’ve been tricking you. It’s just part of the Master’s plan."

"To get you to warm up to me, so that I can get close enough and kill you."

Before Tim knew it, Danny’s face had morphed into his Vampiric form and the blonde sank his fangs deep into his neck.

He tried to struggle, to fight Danny off; he knew he was strong enough but Julia was holding his arms down.

"It’s for the best, Tim," she whispered. "It’s all for the best."

~

"Okay, that’s it," Danny growled, flicking on the bedside light and trying not to flinch from both the brightness and the kick to the skins Tim just gave him.

"Speed?" He gently shook his lover. "Tim!"

Tim’s eyes flew open and he sat upright immediately, his hand clasping around Danny’s throat.

"Oh," he whispered, releasing the Vampire. "Sorry."

"What the hell were you dreaming about?" the blonde demanded, rubbing at his neck.

"Vampires," Tim muttered, falling back against the pillows.

"Meaning… me shaped Vampires?" Danny asked, lying on his side next to the Slayer.

Tim nodded. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Every time I close my eyes, or don’t focus on something I have these horrible nightmares. They’re so real, it scares me a little."

"Is that what was happening the other morning?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I dreamt I killed you. And just now I dreamt you killed me and Jules held me down while you did it."

Danny wrapped his arms around him. "You know I wouldn’t do that, right?"

"I know," Tim agreed. "It’s something to do with Billy, I know it. He’s creating these nightmares somehow. Tomorrow, me and H are going to the hospital to fix this thing once and for all."

~

Lindsay frowned and looked at the fat man in front of her.

"That’s your cue, missy miss." He cackled before he pushed her onto the stage.

"Oh god," she muttered, seeing an auditorium full of people all watching her expectantly.

She opened her mouth to sing the first few notes of the song, but the only sound that came out was a high pitched squeak, which was severely off-key.

~

Eric and Lindsay laughed loud. "I wouldn’t call what I did heroic, or anything," Eric shrugged modestly.

"Call it whatever you want, thank you. I owe…" Tim trailed off when he saw a motorcycle stop in front of the school. "What the…?"

"Hey," Danny grinned, pulling off the helmet. "Wanna go for a ride?"

"Why are you riding my motorcycle?" he demanded.

"Because you and I are getting out of town for the weekend. There’s a nice motel about eighty miles away and I thought we could have some fun."

Tim grinned and kissed him deeply. "Okay," he agreed, climbing on the back of the bike. "You better be careful with her," he cautioned the older man.

Danny rolled his blue eyes. "I will," he swore.

"Have a good weekend guys," he waved before Danny drove out of the parking lot.


	8. Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight

Tim grabbed a beer from the back of the fridge and kicked the cooling appliance closed. Julia was out for the evening and he finally had time to sit down with the book he ‘borrowed’ from Horatio.

Sitting on the couch, with his feet up on the coffee table he began to read.

~

**_July 12 1932 – London, England_ **

_The most ridiculous rumours have been circulating around the council in recent weeks._

_William Bradwell is claiming to know of a Vampire with a soul._

_Preposterous! No such creature can exist, ever. The soul is taken by God once the demon takes over; both demon and human cannot coincide within the same body._

_I do hope he doesn’t expect the rest of the Watchers to believe such nonsense._

**_July 15 1932_ **

_Today Gloria Mayflower claimed to have heard tales, much like the ones William has been telling._

_Daniel Messiah is the creature’s name. Apparently, no one had seen him in almost five years and there are no reports of him killing humans._

_It’s strange; I shouldn’t because my mind is telling me it can’t be, but I wonder, could a soul survive being locked inside a body along side a demon?_

_If this is truly the case, the need for blood and the desire to kill must be unbearable. To commit such heinous acts and feel remorse, would surely weigh heavy on one’s shoulders._

_Maybe Daniel is in hiding. Hidden away from the rest of the world for fear of succumbing to the evil inside of him._  

~

Tim bit his lip and skipped forward several entries; most were just a catalogue of various demons the Slayer had killed and weren’t really useful to him.

~

_**February 5 1933** _

_William was attacked today. He was strolling through the park with his dog when a Vampire attacked him._

_It comes as a shock because, while we all know Vampires can go out in the sunshine, they often prefer to remain hidden in the shadows the moon provides. Attacking without the cover of darkness was a very bold act._

_Fortunately, William wasn’t killed, just drained. It’s unclear if the Vampire only took enough to survive, or if he was distracted by some outside interference._

_Which ever is the case, Elizabeth is hunting for the creature at the moment. It will not see the sunset tonight, that much is for certain._

~

"What you reading?" Danny’s voice whispered in Tim’s ear.

"Jesus!" Tim exclaimed, jumping up and snapping the book closed. "Will you not do that?" He glared at his lover. "Or at least try to make a noise when you move."

"I did knock." Danny pointed to the door. "And I did call you several times."

"Oh."

"What were you so engrossed with, anyway?" he asked curiously, picking the heavy book up. "A Watcher’s diary. Is this one of Caine’s?"

Tim nodded his head. "I borrowed it," he carefully set the book on the table. "And if I ruin it, he’s going to slay me. So paws off!"

~

"It said ‘Look’? That’s it?" Eric asked, filling his mouth with mash potato.

"That’s all it said," the Slayer confirmed. "Nothing else. It doesn’t seem very demon like, getting attacked by a floating bat? Demons generally prefer to crush, destroy."

"I think you’re right," Horatio said. 

Tim sat upright, grinning widely. "I love when he saw that. Wait… you’re out of the Library!"

Horatio rolled his blue eyes. "I don’t have any theories at the minute. It’s all a puzzle really. I’ve never heard of anyone being attacked by a single baseball bat before."

"Maybe it’s a Vampire bat." Eric looked at his friends. "I’ll shush now."

"Assuming the bat itself isn’t possessed, it could be someone with telekinesis."

"Teleke-what-is?"

"The ability to move objects with their minds," Lindsay supplied.

"Or an invisible creature, possibly a poltergeist."

"A ghost?"

"A very angry one it would seem, given the state the locker room was in."

~

Tim couldn’t believe he had been roped into talking to Calleigh. The girl made his skin crawl. Everything about her was fake, her nails, her hair and her attitude. The Slayer wouldn’t be surprised if other parts of her were fake too.

"Calleigh? Can I talk to you?" he interrupted the conversation she was having with Megan; Sunnydale High’s resident airhead.

"What now?"

"Can’t you see we’re talk…" Megan’s sentence was cut short when she suddenly flew backward, flying down the stairs.

"Oh god!" Calleigh called, running down the stairs after her.

"Oh, for heaven’s sakes!" Principal Stetler exclaimed running to Megan as she gingerly sat up.

"What happened?" Tim demanded.

"Mr Speedle! Who’s the principal now?" Stetler glared. "What happened?" he asked Megan.

"She fell," Calleigh informed him. "We were standing at the top of the stairs and she just fell all by herself."

"No!" Megan shook her head. "I was pushed!"

Tim frowned and slid away from the group unnoticed by everyone. At the top of the stairs he heard laughter but there was no one nearby.

"That’s weird."

~

"H? Have you ever touched a ghost?"

Horatio shook his head. "From what I’ve heard, you’d pass straight though one. I imagine it would be rather cold and make your hair stand on end."

"Well, I have a problem. I touched the thing that pushed Megan down the stairs. I literally bumped into it in the music room but it didn’t go through me. And it definitely was not cold."

"Do you think it’s an invisible person?"

"It’s a girl. I heard her laugh. She thought what happened to Megan was funny."

"So whoever it is has a grudge against Harmony. It’ll be fun narrowing that down."

"Don’t forget Mitch! He was attacked by something invisible as well."

"What’s the common denominator?"

"Calleigh," the three teenagers chorused.

~

Horatio yawned widely, it was getting late and despite what his Slayer liked to say, he did actually have a home and a very comfortable bed, which he liked to sleep in.

His eyes were stinging and when the words started to blur he knew it was time for him to give up for the evening and go to bed.

He heard creaking behind him as he made his way through the bookshelves to replace the texts he had been researching from. 

"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?"

Subconsciously he glanced on the reflective surface of the book cabinet and seeing nothing behind him in the reflection he sighed with relief; there was no one behind him.

He could still hear footsteps and he turned around, only to find himself face to face with Danny.

"Oh god!" he gasped in surprise, before looking back at the cabinet, again seeing no reflection. "So it’s true. Vampire’s don’t have reflections."

"Don’t worry, I didn’t come here for supper."

"Well, what did you come here for?" Horatio asked. "Timothy’s on the look out for whatever might be after Calleigh."

"I’m not looking for him, I was looking for you. I know you’ve been researching the Master. And I think I can help you."

"Help me? How?"

"Have you heard of the Pergamun Codex?"

Horatio’s head snapped up in surprise. "The Codex? Of course I have, it contains the most accurate prophecies regarding the Slayer’s role in all this. But it was lost in the fifteenth century."

Danny shook his head. "Not lost. It was misplaced," he corrected. "I can get it for you."

"You can?" Danny nodded. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want Tim to be prepared to fight this thing. I’ll have it for you as soon as I can."

~

Tim lit a cigarette and leant against the locker, looking into the room through the small window in the door. The best thing about being in the school so late was he didn’t have to worry about teachers catching him smoking.

"You shouldn’t do that inside," Danny murmured sliding his arms around Tim’s waist.

"What did I say about making noise when you move?" Tim muttered, leaning back against Danny’s chest.

"Sorry." He tugged Tim’s earlobe with his teeth. "How’s Calleigh watching?"

"Boring," Tim pouted. "Watching her getting undressed isn’t as interesting to a gay guy as it would be to a straight."

"We could do something more interesting?" Danny suggested, sliding his hands under Tim’s T-shirt.

Tim groaned lightly. "As much as I would love to do that, if something happens to her while we’re doing it, H’ll never let me hear the end of it."

~

Danny laughed and bit a little of the cookie in his hand. 

"I’m telling you, Calleigh came to me for help," Tim nodded. "Of course she did think I’m in a gang."

"Well you do look like the type," Danny commented. 

"Hey!" the Slayer glared, tackling the blonde and wrestling him onto the couch, pinning his hands above his head. "Take that back."

Danny shook his head, grinning up at his younger lover. "You do! The bike, the leather jacket… you really could be."

"The jacket is yours, remember?"

The Vampire laughed. "Maybe I was in a motorcycle gang in a previous life."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed. "I cannot imagine you in a biker gang."

"And I can’t imagine you in a suit going to church."

Tim glared. "It was once and I was six! I can’t believe you brought that up! You swore to take the secret to the grave!"

"Problem…"

"Exactly. Because you’re not going to die anytime soon, you should keep the secret until you do." Tim nodded 

"I’m sorry. I promise I won’t repeat it to anyone else. Dead or alive."

"Good," Tim muttered, leaning down and kissing Danny passionately.


	9. Prophecy Boy

Danny pinned the Slayer to the bed, kissing him passionately. He ran his hands under Tim’s shirt, enjoying the way the younger man’s stomach quivered under his touch.

The brunette groaned and pushed Danny’s already unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders. Wrapping his legs around his waist, Tim pulled Danny closer, pressing against him, showing the Vampire how much he ached for him.

The remained of their clothes were shed in a hurry, leaving them both naked and panting, each desperate for the other’s touch.

Soft hands slid up Tim’s thighs, spreading his legs, searching for his entrance.

The Slayer moaned and pressed back against the blonde’s probing fingers. 

Danny took his time preparing Tim, ensuring that the beautiful body underneath was ready to take him.

Tim ran his hands up Danny’s arms, burying his fingers in the other man’s hair as he slid inside of him, not stopping until he was buried completely.

He nipped at Danny’s lower lip, tugging it with his teeth. His brown eyes were sparkling mischievously.

"You know?" he whispered in Danny’s ear, running his tongue along the outer shell. "I’ve been doing my research." He groaned when Danny began to move inside of him.

"And I know you can take blood from someone without killing them."

"If this is your idea of sexy talk…" Danny shook his head.

"I want to see the Vampire." Tim moaned when Danny brushed against the bundle of nerves buried inside his body.

"No."

"Please, Danny…" Tim panted, running his hands down his lover’s back. "I’m strong enough to stop you from hurting me. Let him…" he dug his nails into Danny’s lower back. "Free!"

With a cry of pain and pleasure, Danny’s held fell back as he pushed further into Tim. When their eyes met again, the Slayer saw Danny’s true Vampire form.

"I hope you know what you’re doing," Danny muttered.

"I do," the brunette assured him, pulling him down and kissing him deeply, feeling Danny’s fanged teeth dig into his lower lip.

Tim tightened his legs around Danny’s waist, dragging him even deeper. The amount of trust he had in Danny overwhelmed the Vampire when Tim turned his head to the side, allowing him access to his neck.

His conscious was telling him not to do it, but he knew that Tim could easily fight him off if things didn’t go the way they were supposed to.

With a groan, he kissed his way down the other man’s neck before sinking his fangs into the Slayer’s neck, tasting fresh human blood for the first time in over a hundred years.

~

Danny panted, breathing in unneeded oxygen as he fell to the bed next to Speed. "God," he whispered, running his hand through his sweaty hair. 

"Yeah," Tim replied, staring up at the ceiling with a dazed look on his face. "You okay?" He glanced at the Vampire.

"Me? I’m the one who should be asking you that." Danny turned onto his side. "I wouldn’t have figured you for someone with a Vampire fetish."

"Not a Vampire fetish," Tim shook his head. "Just a Danny fetish."

~

Tim wiped sweat from his forehead before continuing to place several punches to the large punching bag dangling from the tree in front of him.

"I thought you were here to give pointers," he commented, glancing over his shoulder at Danny who was lying on his back seemingly enjoying the sunshine.

"I am," the blonde nodded. "When you need them. What the…?"

He trailed off as the ground below him began to shake violently. Almost as soon as it began it was over, leaving the earth stable, though slightly disorientated.

"That’s normal, right?" Tim bit his lip.

The blonde just shrugged his shoulders.

~

Danny let out a small murmur of approval as he watched the tailor alter the hem of Tim’s trousers.

"You like?" Tim smirked, looking over his shoulder at Danny, who was sat far enough away from the mirror so the tailor wouldn’t notice his lack of reflection.

"Very." The blonde nodded. "Just imagine what you’re going to look like when you shave."

"Shave? Who said anything about shaving?"

"It’s the spring fling, you should look your best."

"It’s bad enough I’m going without a date, since I can’t take you." Danny looked at him blankly. 

"Danny, we had this conversation." He rolled his eyes, glancing down at the tailor. "The walls are going to lined with mirrors. And you remember how self conscious about your reflection you are, right?"

Danny nodded his head, realising Tim was right.

"Like I said, this thing is going to be bad enough as it is. I am not shaving."

~

Horatio grabbed the phone and dialled the number Danny had left for him. The Watcher sighed when he got the Vampire’s answering machine.

"It’s Horatio," he said, leaving a message. "I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. Come as soon as you can."

"You know…?" a female voice said from the doorway, startling him. "That outfit looks a lot like the one you were wearing yesterday. Only there’s more wrinkles."

Horatio turned to face the school’s IT teacher. "Were you here all night?" Peyton Driscoll asked, leaning against the door jab.

"Sorry, I’m just not up to socialising right now."

"Something’s going on, Horatio. And I have a feeling you know what it is."

The redhead frowned and got to his feet. "What do you know?"

Peyton sighed. "Well, I’ve been searching the ‘net looking for unexplained incidents. Since people are always sending things my way, it makes it easier." At Horatio’s blank look she elaborated. "They know the occult is my turf."

She held out a print off to Horatio. "This is the latest. ‘A cat last week gave birth to a litter of snakes…’; ‘A family was swimming in Whisper Lake when the water suddenly began to boil’. And, ‘Mercy hospital last night, a boy was born with his eyes facing inward’."

"I’m not stupid. This is apocalypse stuff. Throw in last night’s earthquake and I’d say we have some major problems. I would say the end of the world is nigh."

"I’m not entirely sure I can trust you," Horatio whispered, putting his hands on hips and leaning against the desk.

"Why not? I helped exorcise that demon from the Internet, didn’t I? I would think that would have earned me points."

Horatio still didn’t look convinced. "I’m scared, okay? Add in the crazy monk who keeps emailing me about an Anointed One…"

"The Anointed One?" Horatio shook his head. "He’s dead. Who is this monk?"

"Brother Luca something. Keeps sending out global mailings about a prophecy."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I need you to talk to him. Find out everything he knows."

"You haven’t told me anything. Why should I?"

"Look, Peyton, just do it. Please." He shook his head. "I’ll explain later."

"I’ll hold you to it," she eyed him for a long moment before leaving.

~

Tim looked at his reflection in mirror. He looked exhausted. There was no other way to put it. There were bags under his eyes and his pupils looked more than a little bloodshot.

He turned on the tap and tilted his head to the side, looking at the two small bruises at the base of his neck. He grinned as he gently touched then, they didn’t hurt much; the Slayer had a lot more pain that two small bite marks.

He was glad no one else had noticed them. The last thing he wanted to do was explain how they got there and why. Horatio really did not need to know that he had come harder than ever before when Danny bit into him.

"What the…?" he sighed in frustration when he noticed the water in the sink was actually blood.

He stalked into the library, muttering, "H, you’re never going to believe this, but…"

He trailed of when he heard Horatio talking to someone in hushed tones. "It’s clear. It’s what’s going to happen. It’s happening now."

Danny came into the Slayer’s view, holding a book in his hands. "It can’t be. You’ve gotta be wrong."

"I’ve checked it against everything. It’s real."

"Well, there’s gotta be some way around it."

"Some prophecies are a bit off. They’re not set in stone. Timothy himself has thwarted them many times. The very fact he’s the Slayer thwarts one. But the Codex has nothing in it that does not come to pass"

Danny snapped the book closed. "Then you’re reading it wrong."

"God, I wish I was!" Horatio snapped. "It’s very plain. Tomorrow night, Timothy will face the Master and he will die."

Tim felt like he had been punched in the stomach at Horatio’s declaration. 

"Have you verified the text?" Danny demanded.

Tim laughed nervously, revealing his presence. "So that’s it, huh?" he looked between Horatio and Danny. "Time to face the music, right? How does it go? One Slayer dies; the next one’s called. I wonder who it’ll be."

"It’ll probably be a girl." His gaze travelled to Horatio. "Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"

"Timothy, I…"

"Does it say how he’s going to kill me?" Tim asked, trying to his emotions in check. "Do you think I’ll hurt?"

"Speed…" Danny moved forward to hug his lover.

"Don’t you touch me," Tim shook his head and moved away. "Were you even going to tell me?"

Horatio shifted nervously. "I was hoping I wouldn’t have to. That there was some way around it."

"I’ve got a way around it. I quit."

"It’s not that simple," Danny said softly.

"I’m making it that simple!" the Slayer snapped. "I quit! I resign! I’m fired! Find someone else to stop the Master from taking over."

"I’m not sure that anyone else can." Horatio sighed, "All the signs indicate…"

"Signs?" Tim whispered. "Read me the signs!" he yelled, grabbing a book and throwing it in Horatio’s direction, missing him by about a foot. "Tell me my fortune!" He threw another book.

"You’re so useful, sitting here with all your books! You’re really a lot of help!"

"I know I’m not," the redhead whispered.

"I know this is hard," Danny said quietly, trying to calm his lover down, even though his own emotions were all over the place.

"Oh, what do you know about this? You’re never going to die! How can you know how I’m feeling?"

"If you think for one second that I want something bad to happen to you… We just gotta figure out a way…"

"I already did," Tim spat. "I quit remember? Pay Attention!"

"Timothy, if the Master rises…"

"I don’t care!" Tim threw down his dagger at Danny’s feet and left the library.

~

Julia looked out over the garden. Tim had been sitting in the same spot, reading the same book all afternoon. She was pretty sure that he had been reading the same page the whole time as well.

"Speed?" she asked quietly, sitting next to her foster child. "What’s wrong?"

"Danny… Horatio… everyone…" Tim shook his head.

"You’ve lost me already."

"You know how much people like their prophecies, right?"

"Yeah, the Slayer prophecy and all that crap," Julia nodded her head.

"H and Danny found one about the Master."

"That’s a good thing, right? Forewarned is forearmed."

"Except this one says I’m going to face him and die."

"What?"

"Don’t worry, I quit, so it’s not going to happen," Tim assured her.

"Tim, you can’t quit."

"I thought you would be happy about that. Do you want me to die?"

"Of course I don’t," she wrapped her arm around him, pulling him closer. "But prophecies are bullshit! You’re living proof that they’re not exactly accurate."

"What if this one is?"

"Even if it is, are you willing to risk the Master rising again?" Julia countered. "Can you sit back and watch while millions of innocent people get slaughtered by a bunch of Vampires, all the while knowing you did nothing to try stop it?"

~

Horatio put the thick tome down on the desk and closed his eyes, fighting back a migraine. 

"So, this Master guy tried to open the Hellmouth, but he got stuck in it," Peyton summarised. "And now all the signs are reading that he’s gonna get out, which opens the Hellmouth, which brings the demons, which brings the end of the world."

"That sounds about right."

"The part that I’m still confused about is that Tim is the Vampire Slayer. He doesn’t seem the type."

"Did you get in touch with brother Luca?"

"As far as I can tell, no one can." Horatio frowned. "He’s disappeared. He did send out one last global warning though."

"What did it say?"

"Isaiah 11:6. Which I dutifully looked up."

" ‘The wolf shall live with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the kid’," Horatio recited from memory " ‘The calf, the lion and the fatling together, and the little child shall lead them’."

"It’s a bit warm and fuzzy for a message of doom."

"Well, it all depends on where he’s leading them to. Aurelius wrote of the Anointed One: ‘The Slayer will not know him and he will lead her into hell’."

"Luca thinks the Anointed is a kid."

"If the Vampire Timothy killed in the morgue was not in fact the Anointed, then it’s entirely possible."

"We need to warn him," Peyton stated.

"I don’t intend to involve him at all."

"What? Why not?"

"He’s not going to face the Master." Horatio grabbed a sword. "I am."

"No, you’re not," Tim’s voice corrected from the doorway to the library.

They both turned to see Tim standing there in his suit for the spring fling. "So I’m looking for a kid, huh? And this kid is going to lead me to the Master?"

"I’m not going to send you out there to die," Horatio shook his head. 

"I have to. I’m the Slayer. I don’t care what the books say. I defy prophecy and I’m going. It’s not like I haven’t done it before."

"You’ll fight the Master and you’ll die," Peyton warned.

"Maybe," Tim shrugged. "If I do, I plan on taking the bastard with me."

~

"He what?" Eric exclaimed.

"I thought he seemed off," Lindsay sighed and handed Horatio an ice pack.

"And he knew about the prophecy? What are we going to do?"

"Stay calm first," Horatio stated. 

"Calm?" Eric shrieked.

"I think he’s right," Lindsay agreed.

"Sorry, no can do. I’m freaking out over here!" He turned back to Horatio. "How could you let him go?"

"As my soon-to-be-purple jaw will attest, I didn’t not ‘let him go’!"

"How are we supposed to help him?"

"I’m sorry to bring this up," Peyton interrupted, "but we also have an apocalypse to deal with."

"Do you mind?"

"How come she’s in the club?" Lindsay asked Horatio.

"Hey! Once the Master gets free, the Hellmouth opens, the demons make this place their party and everyone dies."

"I don’t care. Right now, we gotta help Speed. He’s our friend."

"How are we supposed to do that when we don’t even know where he’s gone?" Horatio rolled his blue eyes.

"Danny’ll know."

"You don’t even know where he lives," Horatio called after him.

Eric paused, waiting for the redhead to give him the address, which he did before the teenager went on his way.

~

Danny was just changing after having a shower when he heard urgent knocking on the door. "This better be good," he muttered, quickly fastening his shirt.

He opened the door, hoping his lover would be on the other side. "Great," he drawled, seeing Eric. "Look who’s here!"

"You don’t mind if I come in, do you?" the teenager brushed his way past the Vampire.

"Please, come in, get comfortable."

"He’ gone," Eric informed him, not bothering to waste anytime.

"Speak English, Eric."

"Speed. He’s gone to fight the Master."

Danny closed his eyes and sighed. "He’s going to be killed."

"That’s what the rumours say. But I refuse to let that happen to one of my best friends."

"And what are we supposed to do about it?" The blonde opened his eyes and studied Eric.

"I know you can find this Master guy. He’s underground, right? Take me to him."

"You’re way out of your league, kid." Danny shook his head. "The Master’ll kill you before you can even breathe… if you’re lucky."

"How can I say this clearly?" Eric held a silver cross in front of Danny’s face, mere inches from his nose. 

"I don’t like you. At the end of the day… no matter what Speed sees in you, you’re a Vampire. He thinks you’re a real person and right now, he needs you prove him right."

"You’re in love with him," Eric finished. "Why don’t you show it?"

~

"Welcome," an eerie voice said from the shadows.

"That’s for having me," Tim replied, trying to maintain his usual air of sarcasm and failing miserably.

He was terrified and he knew the Master could tell. This was not going to end well; he knew it.

"You’re not going to kill me."

"Don’t be too sure."

"You still don’t understand your part in all this do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."

~

Tim couldn’t breathe, something was flowing to his mouth and it wasn’t oxygen. 

His neck was hurting far more than it had had when Danny bit him. The Master hadn’t been as gentle as his lover had.

He wanted to move, to get up and away from the water filling his lungs but he couldn’t move.

Blackness was slowly filling his vision; working it’s way from the outside in, until it engulfed him completely and he didn’t feel the pain anymore.

~

Somewhere, in a city far away Sunnydale, a teenage girl stirred in her sleep; blissfully sleeping.

She didn’t know what was happening hundreds of miles away, nor what would await her once she awoke.

~

Danny ran around the corner and stared in horror when he saw Tim lying face down in a pool of water.

The blonde rushed over and pulled hi lover up, feeling for a pulse. "He’s dead, Eric," he stated, his voice cracking with emotion.

"No. He can’t be."

"He’s not breathing and his heart isn’t beating. That’s dead!"

"He drowned. Try CPR."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Danny snapped. "I don’t breathe remember?"

"Oh," Eric closed his mouth. "Let me try."

After several failed attempts, Eric tried one last time, wishing with all his might that it would work.

With a gasp, the Slayer’s eyes flew open and he took in a large gulp of breath, before coughing up a lung full of water.

"Thank god," both Danny and Eric said.

~

Tim stopped in front of the door leading to the roof. "You two wait here."

"Got ya!" Eric nodded.

"Danny," he ran his hand over the blonde’s cheek. "You better put on your game face."

Danny grinned and transformed into the Vampire. "I’m ready."

"This won’t take long…" He shrugged. "One way or another."

He smiled tightly before heading up the stairs.

"Do you have to look like that?" Eric asked.

"Shut up!" Danny snapped.

~

The Master rubs his hands gleefully. "Come forth my child. Come into my world."

"I wouldn’t get comfy just yet."

"You’re dead."

"Am I not?" Tim shrugged. "At least I’m good-looking, you’re just fugly."

"You were destined to die. It was written."

"Didn’t I tell you? I’ve always sucked at tests."

Whatever spell the Master seemed to be able to cast on him, drew the Slayer close and closer to the Vampire.

"Did you think you could best me up here when you couldn’t do it down there?"

Tim squinted and looked at the Master’s fangs. "You’ve got something in your teeth."

"What?"

Tim used this distraction and planted a punch in the Master’s mouth. "Please, save the hypnosis crap for tourists."

~

Horatio, Peyton and Lindsay looked up from where they were trying to fend off a slimly monster when the glass roof above them shattered and a body fell through, landing on a large piece of wood below.

"He did it," Lindsay sighed thankfully. "He really did it."

~

Tim sighed and leant against the wall outside the school. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and he was exhausted.

"Speed?" Lindsay asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

The Slayer nodded. "I suppose." He tilted his neck to the side. "He bit me. The Master."

"Twice it looks like," Lindsay looked at the bruise on the bottom of his neck.

"This?" Tim shook his head. "This is older."

"But who did… Oh." Her eyes widened. "Danny?"

"I asked him to. Please, Linds, don’t tell anyone."

"I won’t," she swore. "Speaking of Danny…" she nodded in front of them, where Danny was standing nervously.

"What are you all nervous about?" Tim asked, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I’m wondering how I could ask you to go to the dance with me," Danny admitted.

Tim grinned and got to his feet. "You don’t need to ask. You’re my date, whether you like it or not."


	10. When He Was Bad

"How about this?" Tim suggested, holding up a statue of a pink dog.

"What the hell is it supposed to be?" 

The Slayer shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno," he sighed and replaced the dog. "I don’t wanna go back," he muttered, falling into step beside Danny.

"Well, you have to. School starts in a few days." Danny wrapped his arm around Tim’s shoulders. "Plus, the sun’s not as bring in Sunnydale. Surely it’s not normal to be this bright?"

Tim laughed and shook his head. Danny was wearing sunglasses as dark as the night sky and still complaining about the brightness.

"It’s not bright."

"It is for me," Danny pouted, stopping in front of a hot dog vendor and purchasing them something to eat. 

"We’ve got four more hours before the bus leaves, what’d you wanna do?"

~

Julia squealed happily when Tim entered the house a few hours later. "You’re back!" she exclaimed.

"I’m back," Tim nodded as he got the breath squeezed out of him.

"How was LA?"

"Bright," Danny muttered, placing Tim’s bag on the floor. "Very bright."

Julia laughed and dragged both men into the sitting room. "I want to know everything…" 

She glanced between Vampire and Slayer. "Well, maybe not everything."

~

Tim took a drink of beer and kissed Danny passionately, allowing the liquid to fall into his mouth.

The music was loud and the floor was vibrating from the heavy baseline. The slayer grabbed Danny’s hips, grinding against him in time to the music.

The Vampire groaned, tipping his head back in pleasure when he felt Tim’s erection press against him.

"Backroom," Tim whispered in his lover’s ear before sauntering across the dance floor, weaving his way in and out of the hot sweaty bodies.

In the backroom Danny felt strong hands on his shoulders as he was roughly pushed against the wall. He buried his fingers in Tim’s dark curls, pulling him closer and allowing him to devour his mouth hungrily.

Something was bothering Tim, he had known it for a few days. He didn’t know what and since Tim refused to talk about it, the blonde could only assume it was some kind of fallout from the battle with the Master.

Tim’s fingers unbuttoned his lover’s jeans, pushing them down to the ground. Tim placed a hand square in the centre of Danny’s chest, forcefully pressing him against the wall.

"Stay there," he whispered, tugging on Danny’s earlobe.

He fell to his knees in front of the Vampire, working his cock with his mouth. Danny’s finger tightened in Tim’s hair and his head fell back against the wall behind him. 

"Tim…" the blonde whispered under his breath. The sound of the music coming from the main room drowned his words out as he came with a shout.

~

He didn’t like silence. Silence had always unnerved him, even when he was human.

"It’s just you and me now," he said quietly, lacing their fingers together.

"What?" Tim asked, snapping out of whatever daze he had been in for the past few days.

"Wanna tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?" Danny pushed as they headed into the park.

"I dunno what you’re talking about," the Slayer muttered, keeping his eyes on the grass below his feet.

Danny whirled Tim around so they were face to face. "That’s bullshit, Tim," he whispered, looking into his lover’s brown eyes. "I can’t help you if you refuse to talk to me."

"Maybe I don’t wanna talk!" Tim snapped, pulling out of Danny’s grip and stalking away.

The blond sighed and shook his head; who knew the teenager could be so stubborn?

"Is it something to do with the Master?" Danny asked quietly, sitting next to Tim when he caught up with him at a nearby fountain. "Or the nightmares you’ve been having?"

Tim flushed. "You know about them?"

"Know about them?" Danny snorted with laughter. "You’ve been using my shins for target practice all summer."

"Oh, sorry," he smiled apologetically.

"So…" Danny pulled him closer. "What’s wrong?"

"I died in that place, Danny," he whispered. "The Master didn’t kill me, but I drowned. I was seconds away from never coming back, when Eric managed to revive me. I was terrified."

"I know." The blonde pressed a kiss on Tim’s forehead. 

"What was it like when you…"

"When I died?" Danny pre-empted. Tim nodded. "Painful; it was definitely painful. I was drunk, very drunk. The world was spinning so fast I could barely see. I would have agreed to anything, just to stop it from moving like that."

"Darla and I were an item at the time…" Tim snorted with laughter. "Admittedly, not one of my better decisions. My father had just kicked me out of his house; he told me I was a worthless waste of space and they were foolish to think they could ever make anything out of me."

"They always did prefer Louie."

"Darla?" Tim prompted, getting Danny back on track.

"Right, sorry," the Vampire blushed bashfully. "She promised me immortally, strength greater than I could ever imagine and the chance to make something of myself. Oh course, what she didn’t tell me was that I would lose my soul. I didn’t have much of a conscious about my actions to begin with, but that day I drank her blood, every shred of moral fibre I may have had, went out of the window."

"Until you killed that girl and got cursed."

Danny nodded. "But last I checked, this wasn’t about the sordid things I’ve done. This was about what’s going on in here," he tapped Tim’s temple with his index finger.

"I’m starting to doubt whether all this is worth it," Tim admitted. "I’ve risked my life for a long time, but I’ve never got close enough to actually losing it. Not even when I fought Lothos after he killed…" he trailed off, shaking his head and fighting back tears.

"What? Who did he kill?"

"Andy," Tim whispered. "The first Watcher I ever had. I’d just been arrested for shoplifting and Andy was at the police station waiting for me; like he knew I was going to be there."

"How old were you?"

"Thirteen."

Danny laughed and kissed him softly. "Even at that age you were a bad ass."

"Something like that. Social services had pretty much washed their hands with me at that point. All my life they’d been bouncing me from foster home to foster home. No one knew what to do with me. They tried all sorts of rules and curfews, but nothing worked. I’m sure I was only steps away from some radical discipline."

"Andy was with Jules. They spent hours explaining everything to me, the whole prophecy about a Slayer fighting evil and everything. They just couldn’t figure out why I’d been chosen when I very clearly am not a female. Jules was sent by the Council to take care of me, make sure no harm came to me while I was going through my Slayer training with Andy."

"You said Lothos killed him?" the Vampire inquired quietly.

"I was patrolling at the school with him and Lothos attacked. He didn’t attack me; he attacked Andy. The bastard knew he couldn’t take me, so he attacked one of the two people I cared about, who couldn’t fight back."

"What did you do?"

"Locked him and his goons in the gym and torched the place." Tim shrugged. "I got arrested for arson and tossed out of school. I spent three months at home, doing nothing but working out, telling myself there is no way I wouldn’t be able to defend other people the next time. I even taught Jules how to defend herself against a Vampire and how to kill them. So you better watch your back," he grinned through his tears, poking Danny’s thigh with his index finger.

Danny smiled back and wiped his lover’s tears. "Thanks for the warning."

"When we were in LA again over the summer, everything was different. I wasn’t the Slayer anymore. I was just a teenager, having a good time with my boyfriend. I can’t do that here. I have duties to my friends, Jules, H, hell even Calleigh knows I really am now and expects something from me."

"Now, I have to deal with Vampires, Demons, the Master’s left over Minions. Think of a nasty and it’s probably in Sunnydale. I just…" Tim sighed and lowered his head. 

"Every once in a while I would be nice to take a break, you know? Just be me, Tim Speedle. Not: Tim Speedle – Vampire Slayer Incorporated."

~

"Hey," Julia smiled when Tim arrived home. "You look exhausted. Busy night?"

"I stopped a bunch of Vampires resurrecting the Master and destroyed his remains," he shrugged, toeing his sneakers off and throwing his coat over the banister.

"The usual then," she chuckled, massaging her foster son’s shoulders. "Maybe you should lie down for a little while?" she suggested, pressing a kiss against his hair before urging him up the stairs.

With a grateful sigh he fell to the pillows, he had never realised how soft they were or how comfortable.

"You okay?"

Tim sat upright in surprise, flicking on the bedside light. With a groan he fell back against the pillows. "What did I tell you about that?" he muttered, covering his face with a pillow.

"Sorry."

He felt the bed dip as Danny sat next to him.

"I have an idea," the Vampire stated matter-of-factly.

Tim lifted the pillow a little and looked at his lover. "Should I be worried?" he asked wearily.

Danny rolled his eyes and pulled the pillow away. "Come on." He pulled the Slayer off the bed. 

"Danny," Tim whined. "I’ve just come from defeating the Master, again. I want some rest."

"What I have planned is better," the blonde assured him, dragging him down the stairs, past Julia and out of the house.

~

"This was your big idea?" Tim asked incredulously, looking at his surroundings.

Danny nodded, seemingly proud of himself. "You told me, you wanted to know what it was like to be a teenager. No commitments to anyone but yourself, no rules and nobody telling you what to do."

He leant closer and whispered, "And, best of all? No Vampires."

"Except you," Tim pointed out with a smirk. He glanced up at the building in front of him and then back at Danny. "What the hell, why not? Besides, I wanna see you in bowling shoes."


	11. School Hard

"You have to organise the Parent/Teacher night?" Eric laughed, shaking his head. "Stetler really has it in for you, man."

"Apparently, me and Sheila are tied for worst student of the school. Her worst is cutting a teacher with a pair of pruning shears. What I did wasn’t that bad, right?"

"Of course not, because getting arrested for Arson means nothing," Eric rolled his eyes. "It’s no big deal, all you have to do is from now until then without anything bad happening and you’ll be home free."

"What did you say that for?" Tim demanded.

"Say what?"

" ‘Without anything bad happening’," Lindsay supplied. "Now something really is going to happen."

"You don’t know that! It might be different this time," Eric defended himself.

~

There was a loud crash as a car rammed into the ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ sign. The engine stopped and the driver exited the vehicle, lighting up a cigarette as he went.

The man was wearing an almost floor length leather jacket and his black hair fell over his forehead as he inspected the front of the car for damage.

"Sunnydale, huh?" the tall man read from the trampled sigh. "This should be interesting."

~

"The Slayer’s death will be a wondrous event. It will be the most blessed thing since the crucifixion." The Vampire smirked, "And I should know, I was I was there."

"You were there?" a voice asked from him in disbelief. The Vampires turned to face the newcomer. "Please, if every Vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, don’t you think it would have been like Woodstock?"

The two Vampires stood face to face, glaring at each other. "I oughta rip your throat out."

The taller of the two turned away and continued talking, "I was actually at Woodstock. No really, I was; it was a weird gig. I fed off a flower person and spent the next six hours watching my hand move."

He heard foots steps behind him, and raised his hand, knocking out the Vampire without even trying. He glanced down at the crumpled menace at his feet and smirked. "Who do you kill for fun around here?"

The Anointed One glared and demanded to know who the newcomer was. 

"My friends used to call me Blue. You’re that Anointed Guy. I’ve read about you. Word has it, you’ve got Slayer problems. That’s bad luck there, if you ask me. Wanna know what I find solves problems with Slayers? Killing them."

"Can you?"

"A lot faster than Nancy boy over here." He nodded to the comatose Vampire on the floor. "I don’t like to brag but, I’ve killed a coupla Slayers in my time." Blue snorted with laughter. "Who am I kidding? I love to brag. There was this one Slayer during the Boxer Rebellion and…"

He trailed off and turned around to face the young woman standing in the doorway. Immediately his face returned to it’s normal handsome self and he half-smiled at her. 

"Marisol," he greeted, crossing the room towards her. "You shouldn’t be walking around," he chided. "You’re weak."

The woman’s eyes never wavered from the other Vampires in the room. "Look at all the people," she murmured. "Are these nice people?"

"We’re getting along okay, for the moment," Blue shrugged.

"This one has power," she breathed, looking directly at the Anointed one. "I could feel it from outside."

"Yeah," Blue nodded, stepping up behind her. "He’s the big cheese in these parts. Anointed and all that jazz."

Marisol wasn’t listening; she was too busy questioning the small child in front of her about flowers and why they always seemed to die when she planted them. Blue wasn’t listening until she claimed she was cold.

He took his jacket off and slid it around her shoulders, which she immediately pulled tight around her body.

Blue glanced at the Anointed one. "I’ll take care of the Slayer for one. But I have one condition, you keep your goonies from tryin’ anything behind my back. We got a deal?"

Marisol gripped her head tightly. "I can’t see her; the Slayer. Wherever she is… it’s dark. Kill her. Kill her. For me?" she looked at Blue hopefully.

He smiled. "For you, my love," he whispered, kissing her passionately.

~

"This is your fault," Tim pointed at Eric as soon as the words were out of Horatio’s mouth.

"What? St Vigeous has got nothing to do with me!" the teenager exclaimed.

"You jinxed me," Tim countered.

"Could we focus please?" Horatio snapped. "St Vigeous lead a crusade of Vampires. They swept through most Eastern Europe."

"And they didn’t leave much behind," Peyton added gravely. 

"If I manage to survive parent/teacher night tomorrow, I’ll see what I can do about Saturday."

"This is serious, Timothy."

"And facing a night with Stetler breathing down my neck, isn’t? I cannot get expelled again. That’ll look bad on my record."

"Next to the robbery and arson, right?" Eric commented, earning him an elbow in the ribs.

~

"Blue?" Horatio repeated. "Are you sure that’s what the other Vampire called him?" He frowned. "That’s a strange name, don’t you think?"

"And Horatio isn’t?"

"Good point. He must have another name, no one is named after a colour."

"Speaking of, who were you named after?" Tim asked curiously.

"Horatio Alger," the redhead replied. "My mother was a fan. Can we get back on track please?"

"Whoever he is," Peyton spoke up, "we’ll need all the help we can get when Saturday comes."

"He can’t be worse then any other creature you’ve faced."

"He’s worse," Danny said, entering the library.

"Hey," Tim greeted, returning the Vampire’s kiss when he bent down. "You know him then?"

Danny nodded his head. "Once he starts something, he doesn’t stop until everything in his path is dead."

"Danny, do you know if this Blue fellow goes by other name?" Horatio questioned the Vampire.

Silence answered him, Danny had already left the building.

"That’s it," Eric decided. "I’m getting a collar with a bell for that guy."

~

"Oh, right, there you are," Horatio greeted.

"There who is?" Peyton asked, looking over her shoulder at the librarian. 

"Our new friend Blue. No one seems to know his real name; at least no Watcher has ever known. According to this he looks every bit as angelic as Daniel does. He earned his nickname because of his eyes and their unique colour. The good news is, he’s barely two hundred. Not even as old as Daniel is. Oh…"

"I don’t like the sound of that," Eric bit his lip.

"I think your suggestion of running away on Saturday night have been a good one. It says here that Blue has fought two Slayers in the last century and he managed to kill them both."

~

"Just keep your mouth shut and follow my lead," Danny muttered in Eric’s ear before he turned into the Vampire and dragged the teenager into the school.

Blue was busy ransacking the place, making sure every available inch of ceiling was damaged.

"Daniel!" he exclaimed, turning and spotting the blonde Vampire.

"Blue!" Danny grinned, grabbing Eric by the back of his neck, trying to keep him still.

Eric frowned as the two embraced. "I told you to always guard your perimeter. You should have someone out there," Danny shook his head.

"I did," Blue growled. "Unfortunately, I’m surrounded by idiots. What’s new with you?"

"Everything."

"Have you seen this Slayer yet? She’s a guy! Would you believe it? Can’t say I mind though, I like a challenge."

"Yeah, he’s cute."

Blue’s eyes twinkled as he conversed wit his old friend. "Oh yeah. You still go for that, eh?"

Danny shrugged. "What can I say? If they’re good in bed, doesn’t both me."

"I knew it!" Eric exclaimed, choking when Danny tightened his hold on him. "You undead stranger."

"Shut up," Blue kicked Eric in the shins before turning back to Danny. "I haven’t seen you around for a long time."

"I’m not much for company," Danny shrugged.

Blue chuckled. "No, that’s true. Something’s never change. Why you so scared of this Slayer, then?"

"Scared?"

"Once upon a time you would have taken him out in a heartbeat. Now look at you; all tortured and brooding. You’re not housebroken, are you?"

"I saw him kill the Master. I’m not suicidal. Which is what you are if you think you can take him alone."

"We’re old friends, right? Why don’t we do it together?" Blue smiled, seconds before he planted a punch on Danny’s jaw. "You think you can fool me?"

He rolled his eyes. "You were my sire, man. My Yoda! My font of knowledge."

Danny laughed and gently touched his jaw. "Things change, Don."

"Not us! Demons do not change!" Don Flack shouted. "I don’t believe this. Of all the people to go to the other side, you would be the last one I expected! You traitor!"

~

"Why did you do that?" Eric demanded.

"He had to make the first move to bite you. I had to know if he bought it or not."

"And if he had bit me?"

Danny smirked and continued walking. "We would have known he bought it."

~

Tim leant his head on Danny’s shoulder as they watched the sunrise over the city. It was the only time of day Danny could be out in the bright light and not feel like his eyes were being set on fire.

"So this Blue guy," Tim stated conversationally. "Eric told me you sired him, which I’m not even going to pretend to know what it means."

"It means I turned him into a Vampire. Like Darla did with me." He shook his head. "Donald Flack Junior, the son of the town’s sheriff. He was wild and wanted nothing more than to spend all day partying and having fun."

"After a couple of decades with just Darla for company, things were getting stale. I knew when I saw Don that he was someone who would make a good vampire."

"So you and him were…?" Tim couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

The blonde vampire put his hand under his lover’s chin, tilting his head up. "It was a long time ago," he assured him, pressing a kiss against the other’s lips.

"Good, because next time I see him, I’m going to dust him," Tim promised. "I didn’t want it to cause a problem between us."


	12. Halloween

"I hate Halloween," Tim grumbled, biting into an apple. "It’s just an excuse for Vampires to run around pretending to be humans pretending to be Vampires."

"So you won’t be going to the Halloween dance at the Bronze then?" 

"I think I’ll pass thank you," Tim grimaced. He spun around when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Principal Stetler," he greeted, gritting his teeth and trying to smile.

"Just the juvenile delinquent I was looking for" Stetler sneered. "Halloween must be a big night for you. Tossing eggs, keying car, bobbing for apples. Not this year, however."

Tim looked at the clipboard Stetler was holding out. The last thing the Slayer wanted to do was baby sit a bunch of brats hyped up on too much candy. 

"Gee, I’d love to sign up but my curfew is seven o’clock and if I’m not inside by then social services’ll kill me."

"Well, you’re lucky," Stetler smirked. "The programme starts at four and the children have to be back by six."

~

"At least I’m not the only one who’s being forced into this," Tim muttered after Eric and Lindsay had signed up also. "But I refuse to dress up."

"Stetler said costumes were mandatory," Lindsay sighed.

"Great," he drawled. "Just what I need, an evening of looking like a complete idiot."

~

Tim bit his lip and picked up a nearby pumpkin. He turned it upside down and yelped when a small shriek sounded from the plastic prop.

"Hey," Lindsay exclaimed, bouncing up next to him. "Did you figure out your costume yet?" she asked.

"Nope. What’d you get?" Tim eyed the bag she was carrying.

"The traditional costume of Halloween," Lindsay grinned, withdrawing a ghost costume from the bag.

"Linds!" the Slayer sighed. "How are you gonna get noticed if you insist on hiding?"

"Eric!" Lindsay cried, changing the subject. "What did you get?"

The teenager pulled out a plastic gun and waved it around proudly.

"Very imaginative," Tim commented dryly.

"I already have the army surplus stuff at home. My whole costume cost me $2," Eric stated proudly.

"What’s Danny going as?" Lindsay asked, watching as Tim wandered through the isles of costumes. 

The brunette snorted with laughter. "Can you imagine Danny trick or treating?" He shook his head, "Somehow I don’t think that one’ll fly…"

"Speed?" Lindsay frowned, walking over to her friend whose eyes were glued to the costume in front of him. "Wow!" she whispered, admiring the beautiful material of the costume. "It’s beautiful."

"It’s also an original musketeer costume," a voice said from behind them. They turned and found themselves face to face with the costume shop’s owner. "Why don’t you try it on?"

The man unfastened the back of the costume and carefully removed it from the costume dummy that was currently wearing the beautiful uniform.

He held in front of Tim, who stared at his reflection in the full length mirror.

"I think you were born to be a musketeer," the owner commented.

"Maybe, but there’s no way I could afford a costume like this."

The owner shook his head. "Nonsense," he dismissed. "When a costume suits someone this perfectly, it’s a crime not to sell it. I’ll make you an offer you couldn’t say no to," he promised.

~

"Are you meeting Danny?" Lindsay asked through the Tim’s bathroom door.

"Yeah, we’re meeting here after I’ve taken the little monster’s trick or treating."

"Where’s Jules?"

"A Halloween party at work." Tim adjusted the ruffles on his costume before turning around. "Ok, Linds, you can come out. You can’t hide in there all night."

"Says who?"

"Says me!" Tim rolled his eyes. "Don’t make me come in there," he warned.

"You have to promise not to laugh."

"I promise."

Tim whistled when Lindsay stepped out of the bathroom wearing a short skirt and a very small top that showed off her flat stomach. "Wow. Girl, if I were straight, I’d do you."

Lindsay blushed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Really?" Tim nodded. "And you’re sure Jules doesn’t mind me borrowing them?"

"Lindsay, she hasn’t worn anything like this for years. They’ve been in the loft for god knows how long."

~

Lindsay frowned and opened her eyes. The world was on its side all of a sudden.

She shook her head and got to her feet. She let out a yelp of surprise when she saw that instead of the ghost costume she had chosen to wear, much to Tim’s frustration, she was wearing Julia’s clothes Tim had leant her.

"What the…?" Her eyes widened when she saw someone lying at her feet, some one who was wearing the same costume and shoes she had. "Oh god… oh god… oh god! I’m a real ghost!"

On the other side of the street Eric was waving a gun around, just as he had been doing previously. Only this time the gun was real and not plastic.

"Eric! It’s me, Lindsay!"

Eric turned around, pointing the gun at her. "I don’t any Lindsay."

"Eric, this is no time for jokes!

"What the hell’s goin’ on here?" he demanded.

"You don’t know me?"

"I suggest you find cover." Eric brushed past her and she stepped in his path to block him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed when he walked right through her.

Suddenly the gun was trained on her again. "What are you?"

"Eric, listen to me. I’m on your side, I swear. Something crazy is happening. I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween and now I really am a ghost. And you were supposed to be a solider… and now I guess you’re a real one."

"You expect me to believe that?" He span around, training his gun on a small monster across the street.

"Wait!" Lindsay cried. "That’s still a little kid under there." She sighed. "We can get this sorted, we just need to find… Tim!" she cried, spotting the Slayer over Eric’s shoulder.

"Speed, are you okay?"

Tim didn’t answer; he just stared at the monster across the street that was getting closer.

"This could be a situation," Eric stated, pointing the gun at the creature.

"Tim, what do we do?"

She turned around when he didn’t reply, only to see the Slayer lying on the ground. He had passed out.

Lindsay crouched down and pulled her friend up against a nearby tree. "Tim, are you alright?"

"What?" he groaned.

"Are you hurt?" Eric demanded.

"Tim…"

"Tim?" the Slayer frowned in confusion.

"Great, he’s not Tim."

"Who’s Tim?" Eric frowned.

"Gee, what a fun Halloween this is. What year is it?"

"1622," Tim replied, getting to his feet and dusting his costume off. "I don’t understand. Who are you?"

"We’re friends," Lindsay assured him.

"Friends of whom? Your dress… Everything is strange. How did I come to be here?"

"Tim, just breathe, okay? I don’t want you passing out again. He had to get the costume that belonged to the worst musketeer, didn’t he?" she muttered, before turning to Eric. "How are we supposed to get through this without the Slayer?"

"What’s a Slayer?"

~

Flack grinned and looked around at the chaos taking place in the street.

"This is different," he commented. "Different, but good," he smirked.

~

Danny had no idea what on earth was happening to Sunnydale. He had been on his way to meet Tim so they could have a little Halloween fun of their own, when he was ambushed by a group of tiny monsters.

It didn’t take long to shake them and by the time he arrived at Tim’s house he was even more confused.

"Good, you guys are alright," he said, stepping out of the kitchen. "It’s chaos out there."

Eric and Tim turned to look at him, both wearing the same look of confusion. "Who are you?" they chorused.

"Okay," Danny drawled. "Somebody wanna fill me in here?"

"Do you live here?" Eric asked.

"No, you know that. He does," he nodded to Tim. "Tim…" he took a few steps forward, only to have Tim jump away from him. "I’m completely lost here. You…"

"They don’t know who they are," Calleigh informed him coming down the stairs. "Everyone’s turned into a monster except me. How are?" she flashed him a beautiful smile.

At that moment the lights went out and everyone jumped in surprise; Tim even went so far as to cling to Calleigh’s arm.

Eric looked at Danny through the darkness. "You take the prince and secure the kitchen. Catwoman, you’re with me."

Danny nodded and led Tim to the kitchen. 

"But I don’t want to go with you. I like the man with the musket. Do you have a musket?"

In the kitchen Danny stopped in his tracks, eyeing the open back door. "I didn’t leave that open," he muttered.

Cautiously he moved towards it, with the intention on closing the door. To his surprise out of the shadows jumped a snarling Vampire, who he immediately tackled to the ground. 

"Dagger!" Danny cried, punching the Vampire.

"What?"

"Get me a dagger!" Danny repeated, wincing from a blow to the ribs.

Tim hesitated before grabbing a nearby knife. 

Danny turned to find out what was taking so long. "Hurry up!" he instructed.

Tim screamed when he saw Danny’s Vampire form, dropping the knife to the floor and running out of the house.

"Tim, no!" Danny cried, but it was too late; the Slayer was gone.

~

Horatio looked up from his cards when he heard screams and sirens outside the library window. 

Halloween seemed to have deteriorated into a night of madness after all.

He jumped up in surprise when Lindsay walked through the wall. "Jesus!" he exclaimed.

Lindsay smiled nervously, "Hi."

"How did you do that?"

Lindsay sighed and quickly gave Horatio the abridged version of what happened before they hit the books, trying to figure out what was happening.

"I don’t even know what I’m looking for," she pouted. "Plus, I can’t even turn the page."

"And this is happening to everyone? Changing into whatever costume they ‘re wearing?"

Lindsay nodded firmly before realising it wasn’t exactly true. "No! Calleigh is wearing a cat costume, but she’s still herself. Just in a cat costume."

"She didn’t change?"

"No." She bit her lip in thought. "She told us she bought her costume from Party Town."

"And where did you get yours from?"

"A new costume shop in town. Ray’s."

~

"Do you know where he is?" Calleigh asked, following Eric and Danny down the street.

"No."

"He’ll be okay though, right?"

"Tim would be okay. Whoever this is, is definitely not Speed. At the moment, he’s helpless," Danny growled.

From behind a nearby tree Flack grinned. The Slayer was helpless and would he his.

~

"Tim!" Calleigh ran up to the slayer. "Are you okay?"

Tim looked past her and let out a small yelp when she Danny following Calleigh. 

"What’s your deal?" she frowned. "Take a pill!"

"He… He’s vampire!" Tim pointed at Danny with a shaking finger.

Calleigh and Danny exchanged exasperated looks. "It’s okay. Danny is a good Vampire. He would never hurt you."

"Really?" Tim asked in a small voice.

"Really, really."

Tim’s eyes met Danny’s and he gave him a small smile, which made Danny’s insides flutter.

~

The shop owner smirked. "What no hug?" he mock-pouted. "Aren’t you glad to see me, brother?"

Horatio glared. "I’m just surprised I didn’t guess you were behind all this. This Halloween stunt stinks of Raymond Caine."

Ray nodded. "I guess it does, doesn’t it? I don’t wish to blow my own trumpet, but it’s genius. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘Be careful what you wish for’."

"It’s sick, brutal and harms the innocent."

"And we all know what a champion of innocence Horatio is, don’t we?"

Horatio took two steps towards his younger brother and punched him, breaking his nose. "Break the spell, Ray."

~

Flack had to admit it, Danny had been right. The Slayer did feel good underneath him. It was almost a shame Tim was about to die. Almost.

And the best part was, Danny would be force to watch as Tim met him untimely demise.

The Vampire frowned when Tim’s curly wig suddenly came off and the Slayer sat up. 

"Hey honey," Tim grinned. "I’m home," he added, landing a blow on Flack’s abdomen.

~

"So everyone’s back to normal?" Danny asked.

Tim nodded and placed the costume in the closet. "Lindsay is no longer a ghost, Eric knows he’s not really a solider and Calleigh… well, she’s exactly the same."

"And you?"

Tim closed the door and grinned at his lover. "I no longer think I’m a Frenchman in the 1600’s."

Danny laughed when Tim pinned him to the bed, before devouring his mouth. 

"That’s good because, no offence but the wig didn’t suit you."


	13. Lie To Me

"Run home now!"

The young boy in front of him didn’t need to be told twice; he turned and ran away from the two strangers in front of him.

"Daniel!" Marisol exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face when she saw the taller Vampire. "I was telling him about the song mother used to sing. Do you remember?"

Danny looked down at the ground; of course he remembered. He remembered stalking the family, learning everything about their routines and habits before he attacked.

"I remember," he whispered. "Marisol, leave here," Danny instructed firmly. "I’m offering you one chance, take Don and get out of here."

"Are you going to hurt me?" Marisol purred. "No, see… you can’t," she smiled. "Not anymore."

"If you don’t leave it’s going to turn sour for everyone."

"My dear Daniel’s gone away, hasn’t he? To him."

"Who?"

"The boy; the Slayer. Your heart stinks of him." She ran her hands down the Vampire’s chest. "Poor thing. He has no idea what’s instore."

~

Tim was in a daze when he got back to the house. He needed someone to talk to, but Jules was already in bed and she was not a nice person if she’d just been woken up.

He grabbed the phone and called Lindsay. "Hey, it’s me," he greeted when the phone was answered.

"Are you okay?"

Tim bit his lip and ran his hand through his hair. "I dunno," he whispered.

He quickly explained to her everything he had witness the previous evening between Danny and that young woman, and then detailed how Danny had totally denied doing anything.

"Who do you think she was?"

"I have no idea. She was pretty, though. Her dress was old, very old."

"Do you think she was a Vampire?"

"It would explain how they know each other. But why did he lie to me if it wasn’t anything major."

"Maybe he doesn’t want you thinking there’s something going on when there isn’t?"

"Well, too late, because I already think that. Add on this whole mess with Ford and I feel a major migraine coming on."

"What mess with Ford?"

Tim sighed, remembering what his old school friend had told him a short while ago. "He knows I’m the Slayer?"

"What?"

"He just said, ‘Speed, I know you’re the Slayer’. Apparently he found out just before I got booted from my last school."

"You don’t think he wants something do you? To expose you or something?"

"Nah, I doubt it. What would he benefit from me being a Slayer?"

~

Lindsay grimaced as she dragged the brush through her long hair. It would need cutting soon; the length was starting to get on her nerves.

She jumped when she heard a knock on the door. "Danny?" she whispered, looking through the binds. "What are you doing here?" she asked, opening the door.

"Hi," Danny half-smiled. "I need to talk to you."

Lindsay tossed a look over her shoulder, her parents were asleep down the hallway and if they knew she had a boy in her room she would be ground faster than she could blink.

"Oh, well…" she opened the door wider but Danny didn’t move. "What?"

"I can’t," he whispered. "Not unless I’m invited."

"Oh… I… erm… I invite you… to come in."

She turned and her eyes widened when she noticed she had left her underwear on the bed. As Danny shut the door, she quickly hid them underneath a nearby stuffed animal. 

"Is this a bad time? I…"

"No," she shook her head. "It’s just… I’m not supposed to have boys in my room."

Danny chuckled. "I promise to behave myself," he swore. "I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need you to track someone down… on the Net. I would do it myself but…" he blushed sheepishly. "I don’t work well with computers."

"I can do that," she grinned, bouncing over to her PC and turning it on. "What do you need?"

"Everything I can find; records, affiliates… to be honest, I’m not even sure what I’m looking for yet"

"What’s the name?"

"Billy Fordham."

Lindsay typed the name in and hesitated over the enter key. "Danny, if I say something you really don’t wanna hear do you promise not to bite me?"

"Are you gonna tell me that I’m jealous?"

Lindsay smiled apologetically. "You do kinda get that way."

"I never used to, until I met Speed. A hundred years really honed my brooding skills. But I know people, and my guts tell me there is something wrong with this guy."

"Okay," she smiled, turning back to the computer. "But if there isn’t anything weird… okay, that’s weird."

"What is?"

"I just checked the school records," Lindsay said quietly. "He’s not on them. Usually they transfer your grades and stuff but he’s not even registered.

~

Danny stuffed his hands in his pockets as they walked. "I couldn’t find anything else except this address. The sunset club. Nothing incriminating."

"He’s left no records, no paper trail, that’s incriminating," Danny argued.

"I’m going to have to go with Dead Boy on this one," Eric said.

Danny glared. "Could you not call me that?"

One knock on the door and a small lie about being a friend of Ford’s was all it took for the three of them to gain entrance to the building.

Everyone was wearing what appeared to be really bad Vampire costumes; but none of them were actual Vampires. Everyone in the room had a heart beat as far as he could tell.

Something was very wrong with Ford’s mental state, he knew it and Danny didn’t like how close he was to the Slayer.

~

  
"Wow! This is cool. I could so live here!"

Don’s forehead creased and he turned to the new voice. "Don’t I have anyone on watch here? Are you all asleep? Or did we finally find a restaurant that delivers?"

"I know who you are," the new comer stated.

"I know who I am too, big deal."

"I came looking for you, Blue," Ford grinned.

"Do you have a death wish? It’s almost entertaining."

"I’ve got something you want." Don looked on expectantly and Ford looked around. "This is the part where you take out a watch and say I’ve got 60 seconds before you kill me. It’s traditional."

"Well…" Don slammed the book he was holding closed. "I never was one for tradition." 

He grabbed ford by the neck and was second away from killing him when Marisol put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Wait, love," she said softly. 

Don continued looking at Ford for a long moment before releasing him. "Well?"

"I wanna be like you. A Vampire."

Don snorted with laughter. "I’ve known you for two minutes and I can’t stand you. I can’t picture you living forever. Can I eat him, now?" he pleaded, looking at Marisol.

"Well, picture this. I’m offering you a trade. You make me a Vampire and I give you the Slayer."

~

Danny pushed the door open and smiled at his lover. "Hey, can I come in?"

"Sure," Tim shrugged, picking up his coffee and heading into the dining room. "What’s up?"

"We need to talk. It’s about your friend, Ford. He’s not what he seems."

"Who is these days?"

"Lindsay checked it out on the computer and with Eric we went…"

"Great, everyone’s in on it. Like some great big conspiracy."

"What’s wrong with you?"

"Who’s Marisol?" he demanded sitting down at the table. "I saw you with her in the park and them I saw her picture at the library. And don’t lie to me. I’m tired of it."

"Something lies are better than the truth. You live long enough you find that out."

"Who is she?" the Slayer repeated.

"Do you love me?"

"What? You know I do. I just want to know if I can trust you."

"Maybe you shouldn’t do either." Danny turned away from him.

"I think I have a right to choose!"

"I did a lot of evil things when I became a Vampire," Danny whispered, slowing turning around. "Marisol was the worst. At the time she was… my obsession. She was pure and… sweat and chaste."

"And you made her a Vampire," Tim guessed.

"After I’d made her insane. Killed her whole family, everybody she loved. Every mental torture you can think of, I did to her. Eventually she fled to a convent, on the day she was going to take her holy orders, I turned her into a demon."

Tim remained silent.

~

Danny had messed up; he knew he shouldn’t have told Tim the truth about who Marisol was. 

It had been over a day since he had confessed to his lover, and the teenager hadn’t spoken to him since.

He rolled his eyes when he heard a knock on the door. "Leave me alone!" he growled through the door.

"It’s me," Tim voice said softly.

Danny got to his feet and let Tim into his ‘home’. "I didn’t think you come here…"

The Slayer placed his hands on Danny’s shoulders and pushed him back against the wall, devouring his mouth hungrily. 

"Tim, I…"

"Shut up!" Tim snapped, pressing his body against the Vampire’s.

It took all of Danny’s Vampire strength to push the other man away from him. "Tim, take a breath. What’s wrong?" he demanded, not releasing Tim’s wrists.

"Ford’s dead," he whispered, tears filling his eyes. "He wanted to be become a Vampire so he wouldn’t die because of the tumours in his brain."

Danny’s grip loosened on the younger man’s arms. "Tim, I’m sorry."

He pulled Tim into his arms, holding him tight against his chest. 

"He was my friend and he thought he could cheat death by becoming one of them."

"I’ve seen it before…" Danny pressed his lips against Tim’s forehead. "These people think being a Vampire is so righteous. They don’t see how evil they’re going to become."

Tim sniffled and looked up into Danny’s blue eyes. "Can I stay here tonight?" he begged.

Danny flashed him a smile and nodded his head, leading him over to the bed in the corner.


End file.
